Overtale
by RavingKangaroo
Summary: A choose-your-adventure fanfict. This takes place at the end of the game, in the human world. You choose what happens. Female Frisk implied. Your choice of FriskXSans or FriskXPapyrus. Gonna leave this marked as mature for now, may change it if it ends up beings less explicit. Pacifist-Ending, with Genocide-Ending references. Art Cover credit goes to lordmagnum on tumblr.
1. Chapter 1

This room smells… like…. dirt.

Its too dark in here to see the walls.

…

..

.

..

…

"Howdy!"

That voice is too familiar.

"Looks like I found you again!"

As much as you would think this is inviting, it is far from it…

"Lil ol' me has a surprise for you…"

No… Not the surprise. You don't want the surprise…!

"Something reeeeaall special…"

…

"A nice.

little.

taste.

of.

 **DEATH.** "

Still can't see anything. But there are thorns wrapping tightly around you. They dig deep into your skin. You feel a burning sensation. The pain is unbearable.

" **Sparing me wasn't going to solve the problem and you knew it. So don't act so stupid.** "

You wriggle and squirm with all your might… and yet, you cannot break free.

" **How many times do I have to tell you…** "

The pain makes it hard to focus…..

" **It's kill.**

 **Or.**

 **BE KILLED.** "

…

 **HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA-**

…

..

.

You wake up.

You are in your room. Sweat covers your neck and back. Your sheets.. no… your whole bed feels like it is sticking to you. It is so cold…

"Frisk? Are you alright?" Toriel's voice comes softly from behind the door. The door opens.

"My child, are you alright? I heard you crying."

You sit up in bed, the sheets peeling off of you.

"Dear child, you are so pale. Were you having bad dreams?" Toriel comes and sits by you on the bed. She places a hooved hand to your forehead. "You don't seem sick… here… come with me into the kitchen and I will make you some soothing tea. Then you should be able to get back to sleep."

…

You follow Toriel into the kitchen. With a flick of her wrist, a small flame sparks under the kettle. Steam starts to whistle out moments later.

"Frisk… have you been having these nightmares a lot lately?"

You sheepishly look to the floor. You don't know how to express the truth, because you don't want her to worry.

"It's okay if you don't want to talk about it right now. You must be tired still."

Toriel turns back to the kettle, watching the steam flow from its spout. "The water should be hot enough any minute…"

The kitchen looks as clean as ever. And its arrangement spot-on accurate to her old one in the Ruins.

"There." Toriel dismisses the flame before the kettle has a chance to start whistling. She then reaches down into the lower cabinets and takes out a jar labelled 'Chamomile.'

"Sorry… I'm all out of that Golden Flower tea you like so much… its on my list for tomorrows shopping. And besides… I was told by the woman at the store that this tea helps humans sleep."

She takes a pinch of the tea herbs and puts them in a tea ball that was on the counter. The tea ball was placed in a mug. She takes the hot kettle and pours the water into the mug until it is half way full.

"Here you are, my child. Give it another minute and it will have seeped and cooled down."

You blow gently on the tea, feeling the heat tickle the tip of your nose.

"Oh! Look at the time!"

You look over at the hand clock nailed on the wall next to the fridge. 12:02 AM.

"It's officially your birthday now." Toriel says with a warming smile. "Since it is your special day, you will not have any more nightmares. I promise, my child." She gives you a wink.

You smile and take a small sip of the tea. It's still hot but the taste is very soothing.

"I have other special plans for you. But you will have to wait until you wake up again… today." She flashes you another smile. "I also invited a few of your friends over. So you should make sure to get as much sleep for the big day."

You take another sip. The tea is just right.

"Do you like the tea? I can keep getting it if it will help you sleep more. I haven't tried it myself yet… I don't know if it will help monsters sleep. But if it tastes good, it would be a nice, new flavor to have with a pastry or a book."

You gulp the tea down. The warmth settles nicely in your stomach. You feel sleepy again.

"All done?" Toriel takes the mug from you. "Off to bed now, you have a big day."

You start for the hallway. "Oh, one last thing…

Papyrus wanted to make you a special dinner for your birthday…. but… well… I know he is getting better at cooking… but I don't think he's quite got the hang of making edible food. If you don't want him to make the food, I can always tell him I already have a meal planned out. But if you want your friend to make you your birthday dinner, I won't mind."

(What do you tell her?)

I want Papyrus to cook (Go to Ch. 2)

I want you to cook (Go to Ch. 3)

"Ok." She smiles. "Now off to bed."


	2. Chapter 2

The room is quiet. Light is pouring through the window curtains. You remain laying in bed, staring at the ceiling while you collect your consciousness.

 _Ring… Ring…_

The phone is ringing on your nightstand table.

You answer your phone…

"HUMAN! ARE YOU AWAKE? WELL…. HAPPY BIRTHDAY! IT MAKES ME HAPPY TO SPEND ANOTHER YEAR WITH MY COOL FRIEND AND CELEBRATE THE DAY OF THEIR AMAZING EXISTENCE."

You thank him in a groggy voice.

"HMMM? NOT AWAKE, I SEE? THAT'S OKAY, ITS YOUR SPECIAL DAY! YOU HAVE AN EXCUSE TO BE NAPPING. ANYWAY, TORIEL TOLD ME YOU WILL BE NEEDING A DINNER COOKED FOR YOUR SPECIAL DAY… SO… I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS… NOW OFFICIALLY THE UNPARALLELED SPAGHETTORE… WILL MAKE YOU THE BEST BIRTHDAY DINNER YOU EVER HAD. YES, EVEN BETTER THAN LAST YEAR'S."

You thank him again, this time a bit more awake.

"STILL NOT FULLY AWAKE I HEAR!? IN THAT CASE… I WASN'T PLANNING ON IT… BUT SINCE YOU ARE MY COOLEST FRIEND EVER, I WILL COME OVER AND MAKE YOU A SPECIAL BIRTHDAY BREAKFAST!"

Before you can say anything for or against it, he continues-

"AREN'T YOU LUCKY? YOU GET NOT ONE, BUT _TWO_ OF MY SPECIALLY HANDCRAFTED, MASTERPIECE WORKS PREPARED AND SERVED FOR YOU TODAY. I KNOW, YOUR SPEECHLESSNESS IS THANKS ENOUGH, NOT TO WORRY. I WILL BE OVER MOMENTARILY. OH… AND SO WILL MY BROTHER… BUT HE WILL NOT BE HELPING. HE WILL BE SITTING IN THE CORNER AND SLACKING OFF. AS USUAL…WELL, SEE YOU IN A FEW!"

 _Click…_

As much as it might be a bit noisy first thing in the morning, nothing warms your soul like having breakfast with friends.

You decide to get up and get dressed before your company arrives. You walk to the closet.

Ta-DAH!

A striped sweater and a clean pair of jeans will suit the occasion.

…

Upon entering the living room, you hear a loud series of knocks at the door.

"Oh? Who could that be so early in the morning?" Toriel asks as she comes into the room and opens the door."

"GOOOOOD MORNING, MS TORIEL." Papyrus practically dances into the room to announce his arrival.

You great Papyrus, covering your mouth to hide a yawn.

"Oh, good morning to you too, Papyrus. Umm…" She looks over in your direction before asking, "Did Frisk request a birthday breakfast?"

''AS A MATTER OF FACT, I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS HAVE OFFERED THE BLESSING UPON THE HUMAN. NOT TO WORRY, I HAVE BROUGHT ALL THE SUPPLIES NEEDED, I JUST REQUEST TO USE YOUR KITCHEN."

"Oh… Well… alright." Toriel watches him strut into the kitchen, swinging a large sack of what sounds like pans and glass containers.

"Sup, kid. Morning, Toriel." Sans shuffles in after his brother.

You greet Sans, trying to hide another yawn.

"Oh, good morning Sans." Toriel bows slightly. "Are you going to cook breakfast too?"

"Nah… my bro won't let me help even if I wanted to."

"I see…" Toriel says.

"It's okay… I'm not one to skullk."

You and Toriel giggle at his bad pun.

"Heh heh… I'm not really into cooking either. Cuz all the food I'd ever make, I never had the stomach for it."

You and Toriel snort and laugh from the horrible pun. Sans winks at you both.

"Bad puns just for you, buddy. On your special day. Can't believe its already been 5 years."

"Time sure does fly by when you are having fun," Toriel beams cheerful. She quickly continues before Sans has time to add another pun to that… "Before I get sucked into these wonderful jokes, I'm going to go check on Papyrus. I would rather not have any damage done to the kitchen." She shuffles off into the kitchen.

"Well, kid. How does it feel to be 16 now? Heh… Guess I can't really call you a kid now, can I? I hear 16 is when most humans are considered mature. So… feel like an adult yet?"

You begin to protest that you felt like you were an adult for a while now, but then you remember how many times Toriel has still babied you for the passed five years…

"What's with that look, buddy? Nah, I get it… being a kid is fun. I should know."

You stare in disbelief. You were certain Sans was much older than a kid…

"Heh heh heh heh…. gotcha. Or did I?" He winks.

Before you can bombard him with questions, Papyrus's voice chants loudly-

"HUMAN! YOUR SPECIAL BIRTHDAY BREAKFAST IS READY!"

You walk over to the dining table and take a seat. Papyrus comes out of the kitchen with a professional looking chef hat on top of his head and a large plate gracefully balanced on his finger tips. "BON-APPETIT!" He serves the plate down in front of you. It looks like… pancakes?

"Don't you mean… Bone-appetit?" Sans snickers, as he takes a seat next to you.

"SANS! YOU KEEP UP THAT NONSENSE AND YOU'LL MISS OUT ON YOUR OWN HAND-COOKED-PROFESSIONALLY-BY-PAPYRUS BREAKFAST."

Sans shrugs. "…It'd be worth it."

"NOW, HUMAN. ENJOY THESE DELICIOUS CREPES. I'VE BEEN PROFECTING THE RECIPE SINCE YESTERDAY."

So they are crepes….?

Toriel comes in and hands you a napkin and a fork, as she takes the seat opposite you. You take a small bit of the crepes, cautiously….

…

…

…

They taste like sand.

"WELL? DO YOU LIKE THEM?" Papyrus asks, grinning widely.

You nod, forcing the bite of crepes down in a harsh swallow.

"AHHH EXCELLENT! ANOTHER RECIPE MASTERED BY THE GREAT PAPYRUS. I CAN ADD THAT ONE IN MY PERSONAL RECIPE BOOK." He skips happily back into the kitchen.

"Anyway, Frisk. Happy Birthday! Again… from all the commotion first thing in the morning, I didn't get to ask… Did you sleep a little better after the tea?"

You nod.

"Ah, that's good. I have a lot of fun planned for you today."

"TORIEL, WOULD YOU LIKE SOME CREPES AS WELL?" Papyrus asks, peeking his head around the corner of the kitchen doorway.

"Umm… uh… no… no thank you, Papyrus. I already had some truffled yogurt this morning. But I appreciate the offer."

"PITY… YOU ARE MISSING OUT."

You attempt to take another bite of the crepes but the texture of the sand in your mouth makes you think otherwise…

Papyrus emerges from the kitchen again with two more plates. He places one in front of Sans and one down in the empty space next to Toriel where he sits himself.

"So, Frisk. Got any plans during the day?" Sans asks.

You think to yourself, then shake your head when you can't think of anything.

"WELL… IN THAT CASE. YOU SHOULD COME WITH ME AFTER BREAKFAST AND HELP SHOP FOR TONIGHTS DINNER. IT'LL BE… SPAGHETTI OF COURSE…. BUT IF YOU ARE WITH ME, YOU CAN PICK OUT WHICH NOODLES, WHICH SAUCE, AND WHICH EXTRA TOPPINGS YOU WANT." Papyrus offers. "I'LL LET YOU GET ANYTHING YOU WANT, SINCE IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY."

"Hey… or you can play some video games with me. I got a new button masher. It's a real _hit_." Sans offers, with a wink.

"HEY, SANS. I ASKED THE HUMAN FIRST."

"Well… but it should be their choice… it is _their_ day, after all."

—

(Which do you prefer to do?)

Spaghetti Shopping (Ch.4)

Video Games (Ch. 6)


	3. Chapter 3

The room is quiet. Light is pouring through the window curtains. You remain laying in bed, staring at the ceiling while you collect your consciousness.

 _Ring… Ring…_

The phone is ringing on your nightstand table.

You answer your phone…

"Um… hey! This is Alphys… Hey… so… um.. Happy Birthday! Uh… I was wondering if you wanted to come hang out with Undyne and I today… just… for the morning… before your party tonight."

You groggily agree to meet up.

"Oh, wow… cool! So… meet up with us at Undyne's place at 10? My place is too messy right now… You'll love what we have planned! Um… bye!"

 _Click…_

You decide to get up and get dressed to start the day. You walk to the closet.

Ta-DAH!

A striped sweater and a clean pair of jeans will suit the occasion.

…

Upon entering the living room, you are greeted by Toriel sitting at the dining table. She has set up a special breakfast for you.

"Good morning! Did you get some better sleep?"

You nod, thanking her for the tea.

"Oh, I'm so glad. Here you are, my child. I have prepared some truffle yogurt. Happy Birthday, again!"

You sit down opposite her. The display of yogurt, breakfast tea and fruit cup is so perfect and thought out with care.

You taste the yogurt. Tart with a sweet finish.

"Do you like it? I added more sugar into the recipe. Since I know you don't care much for it when its very tart."

You both have your breakfast. The morning is peaceful and you are very content. What a wonderful way to start a birthday.

…

After helping Toriel clean the kitchen and the breakfast dishes, you inform her that you will be going to Undyne's place to meet up with her and Alphys.

"Sounds like fun." Toriel comments. "Just be sure to be back by 6 PM for your party okay? I will be off getting shopping done so I will lock up the house. Take your key with you incase you need to come back here before hand."

You put your key in your pack and head out the front door.

You walk out into the front yard. The morning dew has almost evaporated off the lush vines growing up the sides of the brick walls. The flowers smell wonderful this time of year.

As you walk down the sidewalk to the street, you give an unnecessarily wide gap between you and the yellow flowers growing in the yard. As much as this morning was a pleasant one, you still can't seem to shake that uncomfortable feeling….

…

Undyne lives a bit farther away so you take the bus. The bus drops you off at your stop. 9:58 AM.

You walk a few blocks until you are at Undyne's place. 10:07 AM.

Before you can knock on the door, it bursts open with a slam.

"Hey, punk! You are late!"

Are you in trouble?

Before you can react, Undyne swipes you up in her arms and bearhugs you. "Happy Birthday! Guhuhuh!"

The air is squeezed from your lungs.

"H-hey! Undyne! Don't strangle Frisk!" Alphys says, appearing around the door frame.

"Oh, don't worry!" Undyne responses with a sharp-toothy grin. "Just giving 'em a proper Birthday attack! It's good for their defenses. Builds up strength!" She flexes her arms to show an example of said strength.

"Uh.. O-of course. Anyway, Happy Birthday, Frisk! … in person… because I… totally already wished you happy birthday earlier… on the phone. Um… Anyway, we have a surprise for you! Come on inside!"

You are invited into the house. The house feels fishy… and familiar. Looks a lot like Undyne's old set up by the Waterfall… but there seems to be a lot of 'Alphy' influence added. Like the anime scrolls… more large hand-crafted swords… shelves of DvDs…

"S-so… what Undyne and I wanted to do for you today is… give you a birthday make-over!" Alphys explains.

"That's right! And now that you're here, you can't back out now! You will be our captive and we will BEAUTIFY the HECK out of you!" Undyne yells, almost threateningly.

"S-so… we also thought… this would be a great time to…" Alphy's face flushes up as she continues, "Have girl talk! And catch up on new things…"

"Yeah! Like how many new people you've beaten up! How many other humans have you defeated in battle! How many new episodes of Mew Mew Kissy Cutie have you watched?" Undyne chimes in.

"Ohh! Have you seen the one where they find out the antagonist is actually an alien and when Mew Mew tries to kiss him in order to put him under her control he like totally reflects the ability onto her and so then he controls her instead and oh my god that episode was SO intense I couldn't breathe I was so scared for Mew Mew but then she was totally saved by her friends and the alien was… was… um…" Alphys calms down from her sudden outburst. "Yeah. So we can talk about… whatever girls talk about when they hang out."

"Oh I know!" Undyne jumps up on her table and dramatically points towards you. "I know the ultimate challenge we girls must bestow upon each other! The most giggle-worthy subject that will keep us on our toes! Frisk! I demand you tell us who your current crush is!"

Alphys gasps and her face seems to burn red for you. "U-Undyne. That… that's incredible. Uh… Frisk, you don't have to tell us… if you don't want to… but…" Her voice becomes a whisper. "I am curious to know who your new senpai is…"

You feel your face get warm. Before you can say anything-

"Ah-HAH! So you do have someone you have been fancying as of late. WELL… you have to tell us now. There is no escape!" She slams her foot down. The mercy button you were reaching for shatters into a thousand pieces. Your face burns hotter.

(What do you say?)

Papyrus (Ch. 5)

Sans (Ch. 7)

No one… (Ch. 8)


	4. Chapter 4

"NYEH HEH HEH HEH! OF COURSE! WHAT BETTER WAY TO SPEND A BIRTHDAY, THAN WITH YOUR AMAZINGLY COOL FRIEND?" Papyrus strikes a victorious pose.

Sans shrugs and gives you a wink and a smile only you notice… it seems to say 'Thanks for being so nice to him.'

"WELL, HUMAN. YOU MUST FINISH UP YOUR BREAKFAST SO THAT WE CAN START THE NEXT CHAPTER OF YOUR GRAND BIRTHDAY ADVENTURE!"

You take a few more regretful bites of the crepes to make it look like you enjoyed them. Then you sneakily scrape them around the plate to make it look like you ate more than you really did.

"All done? I'll take everyone's plates and wash things up." Toriel stands up and clears the table.

"TORIEL! I SHALL ASSIST YOU IN CLEANING! NOT YOU, HUMAN, IT IS YOUR OFFICIAL DAY OFF!" Papyrus excitedly takes (most) of the dishes from Toriel and scampers to the kitchen. Loud bangs of pans and sloshes of water immediately follow.

"Oh dear…" Toriel gasps, as she hurries after him.

"Well, kid, I'll be seeing you later this evening. We can always play my new version of Hyper Punch Brothers later. You can't prolong your bone-age forever." He gives you another wink, a ruffle of your hair and makes a sudden exit of the house. You barely noticed him move.

…

After helping Toriel clean the kitchen of Papyrus's cooking, you get your pack ready to take a trip to the grocery store.

"I will be off getting shopping done as well so I will lock up the house. Take your key with you incase you need to come back here before hand. Take care!" Toriel says. You and Papyrus bid her farewell as you tuck your key carefully into your pocket.

You and Papyrus walk out into the front yard. The morning dew has almost evaporated off the lush vines growing up the sides of the brick walls. The flowers smell wonderful this time of year.

As you walk down the sidewalk to the street, you give an unnecessarily wide gap between you and the yellow flowers growing in the yard. As much as this morning was a pleasant one, you still can't seem to shake that uncomfortable feeling….

"HMMM? WHAT'S UP, HUMAN?" He seems to have noticed your obvious swerve in your linear walkway.

You begin to explain to him that you were avoiding the flowers, but then stop yourself when it seems silly to be scared of such a thing. These flowers are no threat…. they just grow there and smell pretty.

"DID YOU SEE SOMETHING SCARY? NYEH HEH HEH! HUMAN, SO LONG AS YOU ARE WITH THE GREAT PAPYRUS, NOTHING WILL HARM YOU. I WILL PROTECT YOU WITH MY LIFE!"

You feel your face flush a bit at such a genuine notion and thank him sincerely.

…

Several blocks out of the neighborhood, you both arrive at the local grocery store. The sign has a bright sun shining geometric rays around its title. A friendly, warming welcome.

"I FIND ALL THE BEST INGREDIENTS HERE. I EVEN DISCOVERED YOU CAN BY PRE-MADE PIZZA! WHAT AN INGENIOUS IDEA HUMANS HAVE…AND ITS ALMOST AS GOOD AS MY COOKING…"

You giggle at his comment.

As you both walk around the grocery store, you pick out the noodles and sauce that will be made for your birthday dinner. Papyrus even lets you pick out a selection of cheese and ground beef to make some meatballs.

"LOOK, HUMAN!" Papyrus holds up cylinder-shaped container. It says 'parmesan cheese'. "I'VE HEARD THAT HUMANS LOVE TO PUT THIS ON TOP OF THEIR SPAGHETTI…. IT SEEMS KINDA BLASPHEMOUS TO LESSEN THE MASTERY WORK OF MY COOKING, BUT…. … … AH WHAT THE HECK?! YOU LIKE THIS STUFF, DON'T YOU? WE'LL ADD IT JUST THIS ONCE."

You beam excitedly. Maybe if you smother the spaghetti in the parmesan cheese, you will be able to enjoy it…

"I CAN SEE YOUR EXCITEMENT IS BUILDING FOR YOUR DINNER TONIGHT. BUT PATIENCE, DEAR HUMAN FRIEND… A WORK OF ART TAKES TIME AND CARE. BUT HAVE NO FEAR! IT WILL BE DONE TONIGHT, NONETHELESS! NYEH HEH HEH!"

You laugh along with him, covering your mouth with your hands as to not overpower the sound of his signature cackles.

Just as you are about finished with shopping, a small amount of movement catches your eye. You stare down the isle where you thought you saw it.

Curiosity… the sound of the busy shoppers, the sudden beating of your heart in your ears, and… curiosity…. fills you with determination.

You quickly jeer off away from Papyrus to follow whatever it was. The isle looks empty except for the middle-aged man trying to decide between pancake mix and muffin mix.

You turn a corner.

You thought you saw another glimpse of something moving on the floor.

A scenario from your memory fills your head. There is slight panic in your breathing.

Next isle… still can't see anything. There is just a mothering monster and her child trying to convince each other which cereal to buy.

Where did it go…?

"FRISK!"

The use of your name surprises you. You wheel around to see Papyrus having caught up to you.

"FRISK, WHERE WERE YOU GOING? WE NEED TO BUY OUR GROCERIES… DON'T RUN OFF LIKE THAT, YOU'LL MAKE ME WORRY…"

You face flushes immediately. Papyrus had never used your real name when referring to you before. You apologize to him for making him worry.

"IT'S OKAY… I KNOW YOU MUST BE OVERLY EXCITED ABOUT TODAY. YOU JUST CAN'T STAND STILL! I UNDERSTAND. NOW COME ALONG, LETS FINISH OUR SHOPPING."

Papyrus offers out a hand to you. Your cheeks burn red.

"UH…" You think he notices your blushing. "C-C'MON… TAKE MY HAND, HUMAN. I-I DON'T WANT US TO GET SEPARATED AGAIN. I NEED TO GET BACK TO MY HOUSE SO I CAN START COOKING."

You think you hear embarrassment in his own voice. But you are not sure.

You timidly take his gloved hand and walk with him back to the front of the store.

…

You both walk back to the neighborhood, arms full of grocery bags. You keep glancing up at Papyrus, thinking about what happened in the grocery store. You might be overthinking it… especially since you both were friend-zoned so many years ago… but you can't help staring.

Every time Papyrus almost catches your glance, you quickly look down, ashamed for staring. You think you are still being pretty obvious, but Papyrus does not comment on it.

"SO, HUMAN. WE ARE ALMOST TO MY HOUSE! I NEED TO GET STARTED COOKING NOW… AS MUCH AS I WANT TO BE A GOOD HOST AND INVITE YOU INTO MY HOUSE…" He pauses, looking down at you. He then looks away quickly again, trying too hard to look nonchalant. "I… I DON'T WANT TO SPOIL YOUR SURPRISE! YOU SEE… I PLAN ON PREPARING AN EXTRA SPECIAL PASTA THAT YOU'VE NEVER SEEN BEFORE! SO I CAN'T HAVE YOU OVER WHILE I AM WORKING ON IT. BECAUSE I KNOW YOU WILL BE TOO TEMPTED TO PEEK IN THE KITCHEN AND SEE WHAT IT IS!"

You nod, even though you are pretty sure you wouldn't be peeking in to see the food specifically…

"SO, WITHOUT A FURTHER-A-DO! I WILL SEE YOU TONIGHT AT YOUR PLACE. AND THE FEAST WILL BE MOST EXTRAORDINARY! I CAN PROMISE YOU THAT!"

You are about to hand Papyrus the groceries you are carrying for him, when he sets down his groceries and embraces you in a big, friendly hug!

"CYA LATER, F-FRIEND!" He then quickly scoops up the groceries a little too quickly to look naturally graceful, and speed-walks down the street.

You reach for the collar of your sweater and pull it over your face up to your eyes… to hide the red circles forming on your cheeks.

…

(Where do you go now?)

Back home (Ch. 10)

Undyne's Place (Ch. 12)

Alphys's Place (Ch. 13)


	5. Chapter 5

Undyne and Alphys stare at you for a very long, uncomfortable time.

"… … Ph… phphtt… PPPHHHHTTTTTWA HA HA HA HA HA!" Undyne bursts a gut.

You flush, looking down shamefully.

"O-oh Frisk… that is so… so cute!" Alphys flushes, putting her clawed hands to her cheeks. "I totally thought you gave up on him when he friend-zoned you on your first date…"

You shake your head, still burning red.

"That… i-is…" She tries to continue over Undyne's continuous hoots and hollers of laughter on the floor. "That is dedication, i-if I do say so myself!" Her voice lowers to more whispers… you almost can't hear it over the loud laughter right next to you. "S-so…. … so cute… I thought…. a good couple… their first date…" She looks up quickly, seeing you were trying to hear her mumbles. "O-oh! Well… Frisk, I think you shouldn't give up!"

Undyne finally collects herself to your relief and stand up. "Eheh.. heh… Look, punk. I think he's a lost cause… For one, he friend-zoned you already. And two, he's too thick headed to take a hint. Here is someone as genuinely nice as you who could be good for him, but he won't be able to see you romantically because of your long history as friends!"

"Well, I-I think she has a chance!" Alphys announces. Undyne gives her a skeptical look. "I-I mean…" Alphys continues, "Papyrus friend-zoned her so long ago. That was like… five years ago! Frisk is all grown up now!" Alphys makes curvy hand gestures to suggest Frisk's body shape. "S-she's becomes a lovely person now…" Alphys quickly regrets the last comment a little when she sees Undyne's slightly jealous glance.

"Well…" Undyne says, thinking on her friend's comments. "Ah what the heck… Maybe you got a chance, punk. You just gotta be really, REALLY patient with this one. It may take a lot to get it through that thick skull of his. Heck, you might have to be stabbingly blunt, too. And I mean it! Stab your affection right into his week spot! In between his ribs!" Suddenly, Undyne is bursting with enthusiasm about this.

"W-well… or we can help!" Alphys suggests! "We can pretty her up! Make it more obvious that Frisk is now a mature, datable human!" Alphys suddenly runs out of the room and comes back with several boxes, all of them labelled different things. You read 'costumes' and 'wigs' and 'make-up' on a few of them.

"That's right, Alphys!" Undyne barks with excitement. "We are still going to make you look sexy for your big day! Now we will just gear the focus of your final look so that it will satisfy Papyrus's interests!"

"Um… Undyne? W-what is Papyrus's interests… romantically speaking?" Alphys asks.

Another awkward silents floats through the room.

"..Uh… you know… I have no idea…" Undyne says, staring blankly off in the distance. She seems to be trying really hard to come up with some kind of idea that would sexually please the skeleton.

"I once heard him call Mettaton sexy… but… Mettaton is a square."

"Was a square…" Alphys reminds her. "Well… let's t-take a look and see what I have… maybe we can… improvise?" Alphys suggests.

The two monsters grab ahold of you and place you down in a chair. To your terror, you are thrown through many varieties of cute costumes, outfits, wigs and accessories. Undyne at one point attempts to stab mascara on your face with her spear, but is stopped by a frightened Alphys.

Alphys does your make up, and after 3 hours, the two eventually figure out the perfect outfit.

"Oh, F-Frisk! You looks wonderful!" Alphys chants excitedly.

"Alright, go on and look in the mirror, punk! See what you think!" Undyne says, pointing to a grand mirror that is tilted up against the wall.

You hesitantly approach the mirror and peer inside it.

You seem to be wearing a warrior girl costume that seems to be from last year's halloween sale. You have a fake sword attached to your belt. Your make-up looks a bit too dark and mysterious for your tastes… but looks good other than that. Your hair is done up into a high ponytail and tied with a familiar faded ribbon.

"On second thought-" Undyne comes over and undoes the ribbon in your hair. "The high ponytail is my look… you don't want him associating you with me."

"I got an idea!" Alphys comes over and takes the faded ribbon. She ties your hair into a ponytail that sticks out to the left side of your head. It hangs much lower and the ribbon tangles more wildly passed your shoulders. "I-I saw this look in one of the animes I am watching… this super tough girl wears her hair like this… I think it'll match the theme of your outfit."

You look back in the mirror. You look like an anime character…. but other than that, you think you look pretty cute.

"My best guess is Papyrus would be into a girl who can match his enthusiasm for cool battle gear but still have a cute charm to their wake. So this should knock him dead!"

"B-but…. isn't he already dead?" Alphys says, thinking about skeletons in general.

"Oh my gosh, no!" Undyne exclaims. "If he was, he wouldn't be able to walk around and talk!"

"I guess you are right…" Alphys nods.

"Well this hangout has been fun!" Undyne flashes you another toothy smile. "You still have time before your party tonight. What are you gonna do?"

(Where are you gonna go next?)

To Papyrus's House (Ch. 14)

Back Home (Ch. 16)

"Alrighty, well see you later tonight!" Undyne exclaims as she and Alphys walks you to the door.

"G-Good luck, Frisk! We know you can do it!" Alphys cries excitedly.

"Yeah, punk! Goofy bones won't know what hit him!"

You thank them both for their help and exit the house with a wave of farewell.


	6. Chapter 6

Papyrus has a shocked look, but he quickly recovers it. "I SEE, I SEE… NO OF COURSE, HUMAN, YOU DO NOT WANT TO GO WITH ME TO SHOP FOR YOUR BIRTHDAY MEAL. YES, I READ YOUR MIND CLEARLY… YOU WANT ME TO PICK IT OUT ON MY OWN. AND YOU WANT IT TO BE A SURPRISE! NYEH HEH HEH! YOU CAN'T FOOL ME."

"A surprise meal is more suitable for a birthday party." Toriel chimed in.

"EXACTLY! NO WORRIES, HUMAN, I WILL PICK OUT THE PERFECT INGREDIENTS AND MAKE YOU THE MOST EXQUISITE SPAGHETTI THIS WORL HAS EVER SEEN. ONLY THE BEST FOR MY DEAR FRIEND. IT WILL BE BOLD. IT WILL BE STUNNING. IT WILL FILL YOU WITH SO MUCH HAPPINESS!"

You hope it will also fill you with determination…

"Well, kid, whenever you're done here, come on over to my place. So I can own you at Hyper Punch Brothers." Sans excuses himself from the table and makes a sudden exit out the door.

"HYPER PUNCH BROTHERS? THAT SOUNDS VIOLENT! TOWARDS BROTHERS…" Papyrus thinks on this for a moment. Then he realizes he doesn't know what a 'hyper' is.

You take a few more regretful bites of the crepes to make it look like you enjoyed them. Then you sneakily scrape them around the plate to make it look like you ate more than you really did.

"All done? I'll take everyone's plates and wash things up." Toriel stands up and clears the table.

"WELL, HUMAN, I AM OFF TO GET YOUR BIRTHDAY SHOPPING DONE. BE READY FOR THE MOST AMAZING PASTA YOU CAN EVEN IMAGINE! NYEH HEH HEH!" Papyrus gives a wave and sees himself out of the house.

…

After helping Toriel clean the kitchen of Papyrus's cooking, you help yourself to some of Toriel's truffle yogert.

"Be sure to be back before 6 o'clock, alright?" She reminds you. "Oh, would you also like a slice of some of the leftover pie from yesterday? It will help hold you over until your party tonight."

(Do you take some pie?)

Yes (Ch. 9)

No (Ch. 11)


	7. Chapter 7

Undyne and Alphys stare at you for a very long, uncomfortable time.

"… … Ph… phphtt… PPPHHHHTTTTTWA HA HA HA HA HA!" Undyne bursts a gut.

You flush, looking down shamefully.

"O-oh Frisk… that is so… so cute!" Alphys flushes, putting her clawed hands to her cheeks. "I never saw this one coming! And all along I thought you looked up to him like a brother…"

You shake your head, still burning red.

"That… i-is…" She tries to continue over Undyne's continuous hoots and hollers of laughter on the floor. "That is really, really cute!" She squees a bit before whispering to herself. "I wonder… a date? He's so awkward though…" She looks up quickly, seeing you were trying to hear her mumbles. "O-oh! Well… Frisk, I think you should give it a shot!"

Undyne finally collects herself to your relief and stand up. "Eheh.. heh… Look, punk. I think he's a lost cause… For one, the guy has never shown any romantic interest of any sort. And two, who even knows how old he is? He keeps so much to himself…"

"Well, I-I think she has a chance!" Alphys announces. Undyne gives her a skeptical look. "I-I mean…" Alphys continues, "Maybe she didn't when we all first met her… b-but… that was 5 years ago! Frisk has matured! She is no longer a child! And maybe Sans won't think of her as one either…" Alphys makes curvy hand gestures to suggest Frisk's body shape. "S-she's becomes a lovely person now…" Alphys quickly regrets the last comment a little when she sees Undyne's slightly jealous glance.

"Well…" Undyne says, thinking on her friend's comments. "Ah what the heck… Maybe you got a chance, punk. You just gotta be really, REALLY patient with this one. It may take a lot to get him to realize you are not joking around… because he takes everything as a joke… Heck, you might have to be stabbingly blunt, too. And I mean it! Stab your affection right into his week spot! In between his ribs!" Suddenly, Undyne is bursting with enthusiasm about this.

"W-well… or we can help!" Alphys suggests! "We can pretty her up! Make it more obvious that Frisk is now a mature, datable human!" Alphys suddenly runs out of the room and comes back with several boxes, all of them labelled different things. You read 'costumes' and 'wigs' and 'make-up' on a few of them.

"That's right, Alphys!" Undyne barks with excitement. "We are still going to make you look sexy for your big day! Now we will just gear the focus of your final look so that it will satisfy Sans's interests!"

"Um… Undyne? W-what is Sans's interests…?" Alphys asks.

Another awkward silents floats through the room.

"..Uh… you know… I have no idea…" Undyne says, staring blankly off in the distance. She seems to be trying really hard to come up with some kind of idea that would sexually please the skeleton.

"I once heard him say 'my true love'… but that was towards a ketchup bottle…"

"Well… let's t-take a look and see what I have… maybe we can… improvise?" Alphys suggests.

The two monsters grab ahold of you and place you down in a chair. To your terror, you are thrown through many varieties of cute costumes, outfits, wigs and accessories. Undyne at one point attempts to stab blush on your cheeks with her spear, but is stopped by a frightened Alphys.

Alphys does your make up, and after 3 hours, the two eventually figure out the perfect outfit.

"Oh, F-Frisk! You looks wonderful!" Alphys chants excitedly.

"Alright, go on and look in the mirror, punk! See what you think!" Undyne says, pointing to a grand mirror that is tilted up against the wall.

You hesitantly approach the mirror and peer inside it.

You seem to be wearing a cute sundress… but you look closer and their are illustrations of mustard, ketchup, relish, hot sauce and mayonnaise bottles sloppily drawn onto the fabric… Your make up looks a bit too cheery and girly for your tastes… but looks pretty good other than that. Your hair is tied up high into a ponytail with a familiar looking faded ribbon.

"On second thought-" Undyne comes over and undoes the ribbon in your hair. "The high ponytail is my look… you don't want him associating you with me."

"I got an idea!" Alphys comes over and takes the faded ribbon. She ties the ribbon around the back of your neck and into a bow on the top of your head. She then takes a ketchup packet and sticks it onto the bow with some super-glue. "I saw a really cute girl in an anime with this look… I think it will compliment the dress you have on." Alphys says.

You look back in the mirror. You look like an anime character…that is obsessed with condiments… but other than that, you think you look pretty cute.

"My best guess is Sans will pay more attention to you if you have all his favorite foods on your cute outfit. Then he will notice the cute outfit and then notice how cute you are! So this should knock him dead!" Undyne says.

"B-but…. isn't he already dead?" Alphys says, thinking about skeletons in general.

"Oh my gosh, no!" Undyne exclaims. "If he was, he wouldn't be able to walk around and talk! And make those awful puns…"

"I guess you are right…" Alphys nods.

"Well this hangout has been fun!" Undyne flashes you another toothy smile. "You still have time before your party tonight. What are you gonna do?"

(Where are you gonna go next?)

To Sans's House (Ch. 15)

Back Home (Ch. 16)

"Alrighty, well see you later tonight!" Undyne exclaims as she and Alphys walks you to the door.

"G-Good luck, Frisk! We know you can do it!" Alphys cries excitedly.

"Yeah, punk! Punny bones won't know what hit him!"

You thank them both for their help and exit the house with a wave of farewell.


	8. Chapter 8

A spear comes out of nowhere and points to your throat. Undyne's eye flashes a twinkle…

"Nice try, punk…But you have to tell us!"

For fear of your life…

…

(What do you say?)

Papyrus (Ch. 5)

Sans (Ch. 7)


	9. Chapter 9

"I will be off getting shopping done so I will lock up the house. Take your key with you incase you need to come back here before hand. Take care!" Toriel says as you tuck the bundled up piece of pie bag and your key in your pocket.

You walk out into the front yard. The morning dew has almost evaporated off the lush vines growing up the sides of the brick walls. The flowers smell wonderful this time of year.

As you walk down the sidewalk to the street, you give an unnecessarily wide gap between you and the yellow flowers growing in the yard. As much as this morning was a pleasant one, you still can't seem to shake that uncomfortable feeling….

…

A few blocks down, you arrive at Papyrus and Sans's house. The house looks like hand crafted club house. Small essences of their old place in Snowdin probably inspired it.

You knock on the door.

…

No one answers. You reach to knock again.

"Hey, buddy… you don't just knock, remember?"

Oh, right… You say 'Knock knock.'

"Who's there?"

You think for a moment… You respond with 'me.'

"Me who?"

You quickly respond with 'Me-ow!'

The door opens. Sans is gazing at you with a slightly-disappointed look.

"Ahh come on, pal… I know you can do a better one than that."

You shrug sheepishly.

"Ah well, I'll cut ya some slack today." He invites you in.

"Well I hope you are ready to lose, kid. Just because it's your birthday doesn't mean I'm gonna take it easy on ya with this new button masher. And I've been practicing~" Sans says with a large grin.

You sit down on the couch. Sweat forms around your temples. You believe he is serious…. but you are determined. You will do your best to win, too.

Sans hands you a controller and the television across from you blares loud, frantic noises and flashing lights. The words HYPER PUNCH BROTHERS 3 fills the entire screen.

"Played this newest version yet?" Sans asks.

You shake your head.

"Ah, well… looks like this will be easier for me than I thought."

You shoot him a look for being overly cocky.

"I mean… there is a lot of new stuff they added to this one. And there is a new character I'm pretty good at."

The menu pops up. You both select your characters. Round 1…. FIGHT!

You smash buttons vigorously.

…

Your character doesn't accomplish much.

"Hey, buddy, its okay. You are just getting use to the new features."

Sans presses a series of button combos at light speed.

…

His character punches your character's face off.

"Whoops. That was a fatal blow. Ready for Round 2?" He winks.

You feel your face grow a lil warm…

Round 2 … FIGHT!

You attack your controls with aggressive might.

…

Your character manages to get one, small punch in the other character's shoulder.

…

San's does a few crafty tricks so fast, it looks like he isn't moving. Your character crumbles into tiny little pixels.

"Heh heh… told you I had this one in the bag."

Fight… Ends.

"No worries, I'll pick a different character next fight. You'll have a more… fair chance."

You notice San's voice trails off a bit. He had a distant look there for a few seconds.

(What do you say?)

What's up? (Ch. 17)

Ready for another fight? (Ch. 18)


	10. Chapter 10

You make it back to your house. The door was unlocked. Toriel must have beat you back home.

"Welcome back home!" Toriel calls once you enter the living room. "How was your shopping with Papyrus?"

Toriel is seated in her reading chair. She peers up at you from her book. "Hmm? Why do you have your sweater pulled up over your face?"

You suddenly remember your face was half-way hidden in your clothes and you quickly pull it back down.

"Is everything okay?"

You frantically nod, but 'mama' can see right through you.

"Did something happen?" She asks, a little bit of concern in her voice.

You begin to explain how Papyrus called you 'Frisk' for the first time at the store. And that he wanted to hold your hand so you both wouldn't get separate in the store.

"Tee hee hee!" Toriel gives a soft giggle. "Maybe Papyrus is finally starting to notice what a beautiful young lady you are!"

You counter her with an embarrassed, 'Mooommmm!'

"I'm sorry, my child. I don't mean to tease. To be honest, I have noticed for some time that he had been acting sort of different towards you. Trying to be too friendly and cool when he's around you... more than usual. But I can tell, I'm old enough to read these signs."

You still pout at her with an embarrassed frowned, not wanting to discuss the subject any further.

"Okay, my child. Well… why not have a cup of Golden Flower tea? I bought some more at the store today. We can also make some lunch if you are hungry."

You accept the offer of lunch, but pass on the tea… flowers still aren't settling with you right now…

Toriel serves you a full serving of leftover pie she had baked yesterday along with a full glass of milk. You happily eat down your lunch. A full stomach fills you with determination…

"So, my child… how come you didn't want any tea? You normally love that flavor…" Toriel asks tentatively.

You tell her that it reminds you of the bad dreams you've been having.

"Oh… oh my! It isn't about… that flower… from the ruins?"

You nod.

Toriel puts her hooved hands to her face. "Oh my poor child… I am sorry… after all these years and you are still tormented by the past. Well…" She stops when she sees your face droop a bit with sadness. "Never you worry, my child. That flower can't harm you now. You are safe here with me and with all your friends." She pauses and gives you a soft wink. "Especially with Papyrus around."

Your face heats up again and you pout hard with an exaggerated lower lip.

"Tee hee hee… Well, I think you better go play with your friends, speaking of which… I need to finish preparing your surprise."

You help Toriel clean up once again and head outside. A heavy feeling is looming over you… but you press on with determination.

(Where to next?)

Sneak to Papyrus's Place (Ch. 21)

Undyne's Place (Ch. 22)

Alphys's Place (Ch. 13)


	11. Chapter 11

"I will be off getting shopping done so I will lock up the house. Take your key with you incase you need to come back here before hand. Take care!" Toriel says as you tuck your key in your pocket.

You walk out into the front yard. The morning dew has almost evaporated off the lush vines growing up the sides of the brick walls. The flowers smell wonderful this time of year.

As you walk down the sidewalk to the street, you give an unnecessarily wide gap between you and the yellow flowers growing in the yard. As much as this morning was a pleasant one, you still can't seem to shake that uncomfortable feeling….

…

A few blocks down, you arrive at Papyrus and Sans's house. The house looks like hand crafted club house. Small essences of their old place in Snowdin probably inspired it.

You knock on the door.

…

No one answers. You reach to knock again.

"Hey, buddy… you don't just knock, remember?"

Oh, right… You say 'Knock knock.'

"Who's there?"

You think for a moment… You respond with 'I.'

"I who?"

You quickly respond with 'I-Spy you!'

The door opens. Sans is gazing at you with a slightly-disappointed look.

"Ahh come on, pal… I know you can do a better one than that."

You shrug sheepishly.

"Ah well, I'll cut ya some slack today." He invites you in.

"Well I hope you are ready to lose, kid. Just because it's your birthday doesn't mean I'm gonna take it easy on ya with this new button masher. And I've been practicing~" Sans says with a large grin.

You sit down on the couch. Sweat forms around your temples. You believe he is serious…. but you are determined. You will do your best to win, too.

Sans hands you a controller and the television across from you blares loud, frantic noises and flashing lights. The words HYPER PUNCH BROTHERS 3 fills the entire screen.

"Played this newest version yet?" Sans asks.

You shake your head.

"Ah, well… looks like this will be easier for me than I thought."

You shoot him a look for being overly cocky.

"I mean… there is a lot of new stuff they added to this one. And there is a new character I'm pretty good at."

The menu pops up. You both select your characters. Round 1…. FIGHT!

You smash buttons vigorously.

…

Your character doesn't accomplish much.

"Hey, buddy, its okay. You are just getting use to the new features."

Sans presses a series of button combos at light speed.

…

His character punches your character's face off.

"Whoops. That was a fatal blow. Ready for Round 2?" He winks.

You feel your face grow a lil warm…

Round 2 … FIGHT!

You attack your controls with aggressive might.

…

Your character manages to get one, small punch in the other character's shoulder.

…

San's does a few crafty tricks so fast, it looks like he isn't moving. Your character crumbles into tiny little pixels.

"Heh heh… told you I had this one in the bag."

Fight… Ends.

"No worries, I'll pick a different character next fight. You'll have a more… fair chance."

You notice San's voice trails off a bit. He had a distant look there for a few seconds.

(What do you say?)

What's up? (Ch. 19)

Ready for another fight? (Ch. 20)


	12. Chapter 12

You take a bus to head over to Undyne's place. The bus drops you off at your stop.

It is early afternoon now.

You knock on her door.

Undyne answers the door. When she sees you, her fangs jut out with a toothy-smile. "Punk! Heya! Happy Birthday!" She suddenly grabs you tight in her strong arms. "C'meeerrre!" She gives you a huge bearhug.

"U-Undyne! Don't strangle Frisk!" Alphys comes into view from around the door frame. "H-Hi, Frisk! Happy Birthday!"

Undyne releases you from her death grip. You gasp a wheezy greetings to them both… and thank them for the birthday wishes.

"No prob! So what's up? We weren't planning on seeing you until tonight."

You explain that you had a birthday breakfast with Sans and Papyrus and did shopping with Papyrus for the dinner tonight. Then you told them you wanted to hang out while everyone else works on their own surprises.

"Awwww! Why didn't they invite us over for breakfast too? Although… I probably was still asleep that early…" Undyne comments. "But that sounds great! I hope you picked out stuff that will make it easier for Papyrus to cook… It can't be any worse than last year's…" She pauses and looks at you. "Uhuh? What's with that look?"

You realize your face must be turning red again from talking about Papyrus. You instinctly reach for your sweater collar, but then immediately tear your hands away from it, worried that that would look even more obvious.

"A-Are you cold? Why don't you come inside?" Alphys suggests. They both let you in.

"Want some soda? Undyne and I opened a new liter just a lil while ago… we are watching.. uh… the new season of Mew Mew Kissie Cutie." She says with a flushed smile.

As much as that soda hurts your teeth, you accept her offer. As Alphys tends to the beverage in the kitchen, Undyne suddenly corners you!

"Look, punk!" She demands, suddenly wicked intimidating! "You can fool Alphys, but you can't fool me! You were not cold outside… You were blushing! What are you hiding? Why would you hide secrets from your besties?"

You feel sweat trickling down your temples. Your face is practically glowing.

"PWAHAHA! You see?! You have such a tell! Now spill it!"

"H-hey?! Undyne? What's going on?" Alphys rejoins the conversation.

"Our dear friend, Frisk, is keeping precious gossipy secrets from us!" Undyne roars.

"Wh-wha?" Alphys looks flustered and confused.

"Go on, Frisk! We are listening!"

You.. stammer that… you've been getting weird vibes from Papyrus.

"Weird… vibes?" Alphys asks tentatively, unlike the looming presence of the fish lady. "What do you mean?"

You then explain that Papyrus called you by your real name for the first time at the grocery store. And that it gave you this weird feeling in your stomach…

Undyne squints hard into your terrified eyes. "Weird bad or weird good?"

You gesture 'good' with a weak thumbs-up.

"Oh…" A click seems to happen in Alphys head.

"OHHHHHHhhhh… Wait. A. Second!" Undyne says. A smirk creeps up her face… then a cackle escapes her mouth.

"… … Ph… phphtt… PPPHHHHTTTTTWA HA HA HA HA HA!" Undyne bursts a gut.

You flush, looking down shamefully.

"WAHAHA! ALL THIS TIME! AHAHA! YOU STILL CRUSHING ON OL' PAPS?!" Undyne is dying of amusement.

"O-oh Frisk… that is so… so cute!" Alphys flushes, putting her clawed hands to her cheeks. "I totally thought you gave up on him when he friend-zoned you on your first date…"

You shake your head, still burning red.

"That… i-is…" She tries to continue over Undyne's continuous hoots and hollers of laughter on the floor. "That is dedication, i-if I do say so myself!" Her voice lowers to more whispers… "S-so… …so cute… I thought…. a good couple… from their first date…" She looks up quickly, seeing you were trying to hear her mumbles. "O-oh! Well… Frisk, I think you shouldn't give up!"

Undyne finally collects herself to your relief and stands up. "Eheh.. heh… Look, punk. I think he's a lost cause… For one, he friend-zoned you already. And two, he's too thick headed to take a hint. Here is someone as genuinely nice as you who could be good for him, but he won't be able to see you romantically because of your long history as friends!"

"Well, I-I think she has a chance!" Alphys announces. Undyne gives her a skeptical look. "I-I mean…" Alphys continues, "Papyrus friend-zoned her so long ago. Frisk is all grown up now!" Alphys makes curvy hand gestures to suggest Frisk's body shape. "S-she's becomes a lovely person now…" Alphys quickly regrets the last comment a little when she sees Undyne's slightly jealous glance.

"Well…" Undyne says, thinking on her friend's comments. "Ah what the heck… Maybe you got a chance, punk. You just gotta be really, REALLY patient with this one. It may take a lot to get it through that thick skull of his. Heck, you might have to be stabbingly blunt, too. And I mean it! Stab your affection right into his week spot! In between his ribs!" Suddenly, Undyne is bursting with enthusiasm about this.

"Er…" Alphys doesn't seem to agree with Undyne's literal tactics. "Uh.. Frisk… so when Papyrus was with you at the grocery store, did he comment on his weird behavior at all?"

You shake your head.

"Oh… m-maybe he's confused?" Alphys suggests.

"Yeah! I would be too! If suddenly someone I friend-zoned became suddenly really attractive to me… I wouldn't know what to do…" Undyne says.

Alphys looks quiet and her face more of a shade of orange. You smile to yourself. Seems Undyne did know what to do at that particular time…

"Well, punk, I think you know what needs to be done now!"

You do?

"You need to confess your true feelings ONCE AGAIN!"

You feel your soul quiver in fear. You think you felt yourself loose 5 hp…

"Don't look so worried! Because, as your true bestest of all best friends, we are gonna help you out with this problem!" Undyne explains.

"W-we are? How are we gonna do that?" Alphys asks.

"Duh! We are going to…" She pauses for dramatic effect. Her face tenses up and you can see every fang in her mouth from her outrageous smile. "ROLEPLAY!"

You and Alphys gasp. The room suddenly feels 20 degrees hotter.

"Now… Alphys and I will take turns being Papyrus. And you are gonna practice talking to him and telling him the truth!" Undyne says.

You quiver in your boots.

"Alphys… you go first!" Undyne demands.

"Wh-wha? Oh… uh… okay… _ahem_ …" Alphys clears her throat and stands up as straight and tall as she can. She sucks all the air into her chest and puffs it out, almost perfectly mimicking Papyrus's shape. "AHEM! HUMAN! IT IS I, THE GRAND PAPYRUS!"

You and Undyne burst into laughter. Alphys impression was pure gold.

"H-hey…! I'm doing my best…" Alphys whines.

Undyne suddenly stops and looks serious again. "Yeah, punk! Stop laughing and take this seriously! Otherwise you won't be able to do this for realz!"

Alphys puffs up her chest again to imitate Papyrus.

You pretend you greet Papyrus.

"UH.. HUMAN! YOU LOOK LIKE YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY. WHAT IS IT?" Alphys says in her best Papyrus tone.

(What do you say?)

You look nice today… (Ch. 23)

Damn, you look sexy! (Ch. 24)


	13. Chapter 13

You walk several blocks down the street until you arrive at Alphys place. You knock on the door.

No one answers…

You try calling Alphys phone to see if she is home.

"O-oh! Hi, Frisk! Um… no… I'm not home. I am at Undyne's place! Come on over if you wanna hang out… and stuff…"

 _Click…_

(If you came from Ch. 4 …. go to Ch. 12)

(If you came from Ch. 10…. go to Ch. 22)


	14. Chapter 14

You hop back on the bus and ride back to your neighborhood. Upon reaching your stop, a sudden impulse rushes over you. You find yourself walking towards Papyrus and Sans's House.

The house looks like a hand crafted club house. Small essences of their old place in Snowdin probably inspired it.

You knock on the door.

No answer…

You reach to knock again, but…

"Hey, kid, c'mon… what're you missin'?" Sans voice comes from the other side of the door.

Oh right… You say 'knock knock.'

"Who's there…?"

You think for a moment…. But you can't think of one simple knock knock joke… So you say… 'Papyrus.'

"….Papyrus who?"

You respond with a very awkward and quiet 'Nyeh heh heh!'

Sans slowly opens the door and stares at you with disappointment…

"That was probably your weakest one yet…."

You shrug sheepishly. You feel self-conscious already that your face is blushed.

Sans suddenly notices your battle girl getup. He looks you up and down and chuckles. "Uh… wow. Kid. This new look… makes you look like a total dork."

You begin to scold him for judging your outfit choices on your own birthday, but then you dismiss it. It's not worth trying to get his approval.

"So what's up, kid? By the way… Happy Birthday… swell of you to stop by before your party tonight." Sans grins with a challenging shine in his left eye. "Care to get your butt kicked in some button masher games?"

You shake your head, apologizing to decline the offer. You ask if Papyrus is home.

"Ah… yeah, 'course he is. He went to the store this morning. He's been in the kitchen the entire time ever since he got back. I think he's making you something special for your b-day." He gives you a wink.

You feel your skin getting hot. You hope to god Sans won't notice and tease you…

"Look, kid… he told me I'm not suppose to let you in if you happen to come over… he doesn't want you to see the surprise before hand… buuuuut…" His voice trails off and he gives you a mischievous look. "I've always been pretty bad at giving any kind of care if a human sneaks past me…"

You smile. Sans is subtly offering to let you sneak into the house.

(What do you do?)

Go Inside! (Ch. 28)

Don't… (Ch. 30)


	15. Chapter 15

You hop back on the bus and ride back to your neighborhood. Upon reaching your stop, a sudden impulse rushes over you. You find yourself walking towards Sans and Papyrus's House.

The house looks like a hand crafted club house. Small essences of their old place in Snowdin probably inspired it.

You knock on the door.

No answer…

You reach to knock again, when suddenly-

"NYEH HEH HEH!" Papyrus swings the door open, almost knocking you over. "HUMAN! HOW NICE TO SEE YOU DROP BY! OH, AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY COOLEST OF COOL FRIENDS!"

You recover from the sudden outburst and thank him for the birthday wishes.

"AHAAA! WHAT IS THIS?" Papyrus notices the strange sundress you are wearing. "IS THIS YOUR BIRTHDAY COSTUME?"

You nod, flushing a bit around the cheeks.

"HMMM…." Papyrus squints hard as he observes the details of your bow and dress. "ARE… ARE THOSE CONDIMENTS? STRANGE THEME, HUMAN… I WOULD NEVER HAVE GUESSED SUCH A SPECIFIC CHOICE…. REMINDS ME TOO MUCH OF MY BROTHER…"

You giggle nervously and try to change the subject. But you can't seem to think of any other subject… so you ask if Sans is home.

"HMMM… ACTUALLY, NOW THAT YOU MENTION IT, I DON'T THINK HE IS. I HAVEN'T SEEN HIM ALL MORNING. HE'S PROBABLY SLACKING OFF SOMEWHERE. THAT LAZYBONES HAS TO GET IT OUT OF HIS SYSTEM BEFORE TONIGHT, I SUPPOSE."

You look down with slight disappointment.

"ANYWAY, I'M WORKING ON A SPECIAL SURPRISE FOR YOU RIGHT NOW! SO I CAN'T LET YOU IN THE HOUSE… I DON'T WANT YOU TO BE TEMPTED AND SNEAK A PEAK! SO…" He looks back into the house for a moment and then turns back to you. "I WILL GO SEE IF SANS IS HOME… ONE MOMENT…" Papyrus closes the door and you hear the clanking of his boots as he runs up the stairs inside.

You stand awkwardly outside waiting… You notice it is a beautiful day outside. _Birds are singing, flowers are blooming…._ Suddenly a shiver runs down your back.

The door opens again with another forceful swing. You manage to prepare for this one and step far away from its reach.

"SORRY, HUMAN! SANS IS NOT IN. BUT HE LEFT ME THIS NOTE…"

You take the note and read it.

' _Paps. I'll be at the hot dog stand in the park. Or I won't. See ya later tonight.'_

"ISN'T MY BROTHER HELPFUL? UGGHH… WELL HUMAN, I GUESS YOU CAN TRY LOOKING FOR HIM IN THE PARK… NO PROMISES THAT HE WILL STAY THERE FOR VERY LONG… KNOWING HIS HISTORY OF SLACKING OFF WHILE HE IS SLACKING OFF."

You thank Papyrus for the information.

"NOT AT ALL, HUMAN!"

(What do you do?)

Go to the park (Ch. 29)

Ask Papyrus to let you in… (Ch. 31)


	16. Chapter 16

After riding the bus back to your neighborhood, you arrive back to your house. The door was unlocked. Toriel must have beat you back home… makes sense, you were out for a while.

"Welcome back home!" Toriel calls once you enter the living room. "How was Undyne and Alphys?"

Toriel is seated in her reading chair. She peers up at you from her book. "Hmm? My child, what on earth are you wearing?"

She seems to have noticed the make-over your friends have given you. You only smile and shrug, as if it's totally normal.

"Was… that your birthday gift from them? Tee hee hee… Well… Seems nice."

You have a funny feeling 'mama' is onto you…

You ask her if she had made anything for lunch.

"Oh! Well, no… I was busy starting the preparations for your surprise. But we do have a lot of leftover pie that I made from yesterday… would you like some, my child?"

You nod eagerly, remembering to add a polite 'please and thank you'.

"Such a well-mannered child." Toriel says, smiling sweetly. "Ok… and why not have a cup of Golden Flower tea to go with it? I bought some more at the store today."

You pass on the offer of the tea… flowers still aren't settling with you right now…

Toriel serves you a full serving of leftover pie along with a full glass of milk. You happily eat down your lunch. A full stomach fills you with determination…

"So, my child… how come you didn't want any tea? You normally love that flavor…" Toriel asks tentatively.

You tell her that it reminds you of the bad dreams you've been having.

"Oh… oh my! It isn't about… that flower… from the ruins?"

You nod.

Toriel puts her hooved hands to her face. "Oh my poor child… I am sorry… after all these years and you are still tormented by the past. Well…" She stops when she sees your face droop a bit with sadness. "Never you worry, my child. That flower can't harm you now. You are safe here with me and with all your friends."

You smile at her to make her worry less, but a heavy feeling still lingers…

"Um…" Toriel is looking down a bit, as she searches for the right way to ask… "So your outfit… I was wondering about it…"

You stare, waiting. You feel your face getting hot again.

"You aren't… trying to impress… a certain skeleton, are you?" She gives you an amused but understanding grin.

You don't know how to respond… Especially since you don't know which skeleton she is specifying… but your outfit must make that obvious. It feels very awkward to have this brought up with your 'mother'.

From your lack of verbal response, Toriel giggles softly. "It's ok… I am not judging… I once was that age and remember what it was like to try and gain the attention of my crushes-"

You interupt her with an embarrassed, 'Mooommmm!' You try to explain its not like that…. but it is _definitely_ like that.

Toriel gives off another giggle. "Tee hee hee… Ok, ok my child. I can see you don't want to talk about it. Either way, I think you look great. It's a nice look for a special occasion."

You sigh, thanking her for that encouragement.

"Well, I think you better go play with your friends… I need to finish preparing your surprise. Why not go visit Sans and Papyrus?" She adds a subtle grin.

You make an awkward laugh.

…

You help Toriel clean up once again after the meal and head outside. Just as you pass the yellow flowers in the yard, a heavy feeling is looms over you… but you press on with determination.

(Where to now?)

(If you came from Ch. 5) To Papyrus's House (Ch. 32)

(If you came from Ch. 7) To San's House (Ch. 33)


	17. Chapter 17

You hesitate at first but then ask Sans if he's alright. You make it in a friendly, nonchalant tone to seem a bit more casual.

"Huh? Oh… yeah, kid, 'course." He grins his signature grin. "You ever get something stuck in your head? Like… a dream or an idea… and it just… loops in your head a lot?"

You nod, with total surprise. You know _exactly_ what that's like…

"It's just that… Can't stop seeing the same things over and over…" He chuckles.

You smile sheepishly back. But you for some reason aren't fully convinced.

Sans looks back at the TV and selects a new character. "There ya go, pal… maybe you'll more of a fighting chance."

You scoff at him, knowing that is in no way true… he seems to have played this game a LOT, and must be good with all the characters by now.

You pick your new character and the next fight begins!

Round 1… FIGHT!

Again, you attempt to hit buttons in what seems like a rapid, combo order… hoping something good will happen.

…

Your character does a lot of fancy kicks and flips in the air before falling off the stage and dying.

…

Both of you are quite for a second…

"Whooooops." He says, making sure to drag that comment out long and hard. He is chuckling up a storm now.

You blush, explaining that this version's controls have totally changed.

"Uh, kid? They are exactly the same." Sans comments, still chuckling.

You feel more flustered, and demand that your controller is broken.

"Heh… well, okay. Here, use mine instead."

He passes his controller on to you, and you give him yours. "Now you'll have an advantage since we switched characters and I have one loss." He winks at you.

You feel frustrated that even with Sans offering so many handicaps, you were still managing to get dunked on… and yet a weird giddiness was bubbling in your stomach. The mockery was normally, but he seemed to be going more easy on you than usual.

Round 2… FIGHT!

You keep your character still. You decide to let Sans have the first move and try to react to it.

"Ohhh… I see." Sans says, accepting the challenge.

…

At lightning speed, his character is already on top of yours, and beating it into a merciless pulp.

Frantically, you hit buttons randomly in response. But his character seems to have you pinned down.

Then with one final swoop, his character uppercuts yours into the air and they go flying… gone…

Fight… End.

Sans leans back with his hands behind his skull now and eye-sockets closed, soaking in the glory of victory. "What can I say…" He starts. "I told you your butt gonna get owned."

You start to comment back with a 'yeah, yeah…' but then his comment suddenly gives you a weird image. Oh no… now the thought won't leave your head. Your face is starting to glow brightly, and your sure of it.

Sans opens an eye to stare. "Hmm?" But seeing your face, he just grins even more than usual. "Well, well, well… finally hit that stage where you find any little thing someone said to sound dirty?"

You start to defend yourself by saying you weren't thinking of anything dirty… and that maybe you were coming down with a cold…. it was a poor excuse, but it's all you could think of on the spot.

Sans does seem convinced by it at all. His grin only seems to get wider. You can see by his expression that he's about to expand on the topic to make you more embarrassed when-

"BROTHER! I HAVE RETURNED!" Papyrus comes flying (almost literally) through the front door, one arm full of grocery bags and the other pointing dramatically in the air as he hovers a few seconds for his glorious pose.

"Sup, bro. Find everything alright?" Sans says, not even phased by his brothers performance. You, on the other hand, jump several inches off the couch in alarm, but quickly recover, trying to play it cool.

"AH! OF COURSE, I DID. WHY… HOW COULD THE GREAT PAPYRUS HAVE ANY TROUBLE WITH SUCH A SIMPLE TASK!" Papyrus pauses to look over, and he notices you sitting with Sans on the couch. "OH! HUMAN! YOU ARE OVER! … ER, RIGHT. I ALMOST FORGOT SANS INVITED YOU OVER TO PLAY GAMES…HMMM… WELL HUMAN… I HATE TO ASK, BUT COULD YOU BY CHANCE LEAVE NOW? I WANT YOUR BIRTHDAY DINNER TO BE A SURPRISE! I CAN'T HAVE YOU TEMPTED TO LOOK IN AND SEE WHAT IT IS WHILE YOU ARE HERE!"

You nod, understanding and start to make your way to the door, when you are stopped by a grab to your upper arm.

"Hey… why don't we just go out and grab a bite?" Sans offers. His skeletal hand was still gently grasping your arm.

You are about to say sure, when the long pause of contact between the two of you starts to get you flustered. You then also remember that Toriel packed you some pie for lunch.

"Ahhh… Toriel beat me to it, huh? Shame, I was gonna treat you to lunch for your b-day." He watches you carefully, noticing your face getting red, and smiles wider. "Then how about you follow me down to the park, so I can get a bite and we can have our lunch there?"

You nod, excited about a visit to the park; more so than usual.

"THANKS FOR UNDERSTANDING, HUMAN!" Papyrus beams. "I'LL SEE YOU LATER TONIGHT! BE READY FOR THE MOST AMAZING BIRTHDAY DINNER EVER!"

You thank him sincerely, and exit out the door with Sans.

…

The park was nice and shady this time of year. And the smell of spring filled you with determination.

Sans grabbed a hot dog from the local stand, along with a request for 'as many ketchup and mustard packets that you can legally give me.' The two of you find an empty bench and seat yourselves to have your lunches.

"I think its been a while since I've taken you to this park. You were still just an actual kid, kid." Sans commented, smiling to himself about the memory.

You smile at this fond memory too. It was nice, taking the skeleton with you to his first park above the ground… The atmosphere must have really captivated him. He seemed to come here regularly ever since.

Sans slowly opens each condiment packed and squeezes it onto his hot dog. By the time he opened them all, the dog could barely be called a dog anymore; completely flooded with ketchup and mustard. You stared in amazement, not understanding how this guy loved condiments THAT much.

Sans noticed you stare and gave you a shrug. "What can I say, I have specific tastes…"

You shrug too. You take out your pie and carefully unwrap it from its packaging and take a bite.

Still delicious as ever.

Sans looks down at the pie before he digs in to his own meal and chuckles. "You wanna know something funny, kid?"

You ask 'what'.

"When I first met Toriel, I knew instantly I had a thing for her."

You freeze in mid-chewing and gape at him. He pays this gesture no mind and keeps talking.

"Took me forever to finally ask her out on a real date just last week. And you know what?"

You're afraid to know… but still curious.

Sans gives another chuckle, "She totally rejected me."

You gulp. Part of you suddenly feels sympathy towards him for confessing this…. another part sort of a relieved?

"Respectfully, of course." He adds in. "She said it had nothing to do with me personally, just that she felt that she was too old for me. Heh…" He closed his eyes for a moment. "I find it funny how boss monsters have a different idea of age compared to us other monsters."

You are speechless. You do not know how to respond to this… or how to process it, really.

"Heh heh… sorry kid, didn't mean to lay that on you. I'm sure its weird for you when you think of her as your mom. I guess its not weird for me… age was never a concern for my kind. If you feel for someone, you should be honest, right? That always seemed like the right thing to do." He pauses, glancing over at you. "Don't worry about me, pal. I'm fine. I recover from those sorts of things quickly. And its not like she treats me any differently than before."

You nod, a weird feeling overcoming you. It almost feels like… jealousy?

"Anyway…" Sans trails off, changing the subject. "Enough about my recent drama… sup with you lately? Got any boyfriends at that school of yours? Are you old enough for dating according to 'mom'?" He gives you a wink.

You cough a little on your pie. You tell him its none of his business if you are dating any human boys or girls at your school.

Sans's expression shifts a bit. "Oh? Who said I was strictly talking about humans?" He winks again, resting his jaw-bone under his propped-up palm.

You feel hot around the collar…

"I know you were only a child back then, but didn't you go on a date with my brother?" He grins fiendishly, enjoying the tormenting teases.

You stammer at him that that was just a kiddy crush, and that you are over that phase… but then slide a comment in that you still think Papyrus is a cool friend.

"Heh heh… I'm just giving you a hard time. I'm surprised you haven't expressed any interested in dating again… I figured you would have by your age… unless I'm just getting left out of knowing?" He gives you a mischievous smile.

(What do you respond with?)

I just haven't found anyone yet… (Ch. 34)

There… is someone… (Ch. 36)


	18. Chapter 18

You hesitate but then ask Sans if he wants to play another round. He perks up immediately at this idea. Seems like it was better to not mention what you noticed…

Sans looks back at the TV and selects a new character. "There ya go, pal… maybe you'll more of a fighting chance."

You scoff at him, knowing that is in no way true… he seems to have played this game a LOT, and must be good with all the characters by now.

You pick your new character and the next fight begins!

Round 1… FIGHT!

Again, you attempt to hit buttons in what seems like a rapid, combo order… hoping something good will happen.

…

Your character does a lot of fancy kicks and flips in the air before falling off the stage and dying.

…

Both of you are quite for a second…

"Whooooops." He says, making sure to drag that comment out long and hard. He is chuckling up a storm now.

You blush, explaining that this version's controls have totally changed.

"Uh, kid? They are exactly the same." Sans comments, still chuckling.

You feel more flustered, and demand that your controller is broken.

"Heh… well, okay. Here, use mine instead."

He passes his controller on to you, and you give him yours. "Now you'll have an advantage since we switched characters and I have one loss." He winks at you.

You feel frustrated that even with Sans offering so many handicaps, you were still managing to get dunked on… and yet a weird giddiness was bubbling in your stomach. The mockery was normally, but he seemed to be going more easy on you than usual.

Round 2… FIGHT!

You keep your character still. You decide to let Sans have the first move and try to react to it.

"Ohhh… I see." Sans says, accepting the challenge.

…

At lightning speed, his character is already on top of yours, and beating it into a merciless pulp.

Frantically, you hit buttons randomly in response. But his character seems to have you pinned down.

Then with one final swoop, his character uppercuts yours into the air and they go flying… gone…

Fight… End.

Sans leans back with his hands behind his skull now and eye-sockets closed, soaking in the glory of victory. "What can I say…" He starts. "I told you your butt gonna get owned."

You start to comment back with a 'yeah, yeah…' but then his comment suddenly gives you a weird image. Oh no… now the thought won't leave your head. Your face is starting to glow brightly, and your sure of it.

Sans opens an eye to stare. "Hmm?" But seeing your face, he just grins even more than usual. "Well, well, well… finally hit that stage where you find any little thing someone said to sound dirty?"

You start to defend yourself by saying you weren't thinking of anything dirty… and that maybe you were coming down with a cold…. it was a poor excuse, but it's all you could think of on the spot.

Sans does seem convinced by it at all. His grin only seems to get wider. You can see by his expression that he's about to expand on the topic to make you more embarrassed when-

"BROTHER! I HAVE RETURNED!" Papyrus comes flying (almost literally) through the front door, one arm full of grocery bags and the other pointing dramatically in the air as he hovers a few seconds for his glorious pose.

"Sup, bro. Find everything alright?" Sans says, not even phased by his brothers performance. You, on the other hand, jump several inches off the couch in alarm, but quickly recover, trying to play it cool.

"AH! OF COURSE, I DID! WHY… HOW COULD THE GREAT PAPYRUS HAVE ANY TROUBLE WITH SUCH A SIMPLE TASK?" Papyrus pauses to look over, and he notices you sitting with Sans on the couch. "OH! HUMAN! YOU ARE OVER! … ER, RIGHT. I ALMOST FORGOT SANS INVITED YOU OVER TO PLAY GAMES…HMMM… WELL HUMAN… I HATE TO ASK, BUT COULD YOU BY CHANCE LEAVE NOW? I WANT YOUR BIRTHDAY DINNER TO BE A SURPRISE! I CAN'T HAVE YOU TEMPTED TO LOOK IN AND SEE WHAT IT IS WHILE YOU ARE HERE!"

You nod, understanding and start to make your way to the door, when you are stopped by a grab to your upper arm.

"Hey… why don't we just go out and grab a bite?" Sans offers. His skeletal hand was still gently grasping your arm.

You are about to say sure, when the long pause of contact between the two of you starts to get you flustered. You then also remember that Toriel packed you some pie for lunch.

"Ahhh… Toriel beat me to it, huh? Shame, I was gonna treat you to lunch for your b-day." He watches you carefully, noticing your face getting red, and smiles wider. "Then how about you follow me down to the park, so I can get a bite and we can have our lunch there?"

You nod, excited about a visit to the park; more so than usual.

"THANKS FOR UNDERSTANDING, HUMAN!" Papyrus beams. "I'LL SEE YOU LATER TONIGHT! BE READY FOR THE MOST AMAZING BIRTHDAY DINNER EVER!"

You thank him sincerely, and exit out the door with Sans.

…

The park was nice and shady this time of year. And the smell of spring filled you with determination.

Sans grabbed a hot dog from the local stand, along with a request for 'as many ketchup and mustard packets that you can legally give me.' The two of you find an empty bench and seat yourselves to have your lunches.

"I think its been a while since I've taken you to this park. You were still just an actual kid, kid." Sans commented, smiling to himself about the memory.

You smile at this fond memory too. It was nice, taking the skeleton with you to his first park above the ground… The atmosphere must have really captivated him. He seemed to come here regularly ever since.

Sans slowly opens each condiment packed and squeezes it onto his hot dog. By the time he opened them all, the dog could barely be called a dog anymore; completely flooded with ketchup and mustard. You stared in amazement, not understanding how this guy loved condiments THAT much.

Sans noticed you stare and gave you a shrug. "What can I say, I have specific tastes…"

You shrug too. You take out your pie and carefully unwrap it from its packaging and take a bite.

Still delicious as ever.

Sans looks down at the pie before he digs in to his own meal and chuckles. "You wanna know something funny, kid?"

You ask 'what'.

"When I first met Toriel, I knew instantly I had a thing for her."

You freeze in mid-chewing and gape at him. He pays this gesture no mind and keeps talking.

"Took me forever to finally ask her out on a real date just last week. And you know what?"

You're afraid to know… but still curious.

Sans gives another chuckle, "She totally rejected me."

You gulp. Part of you suddenly feels sympathy towards him for confessing this…. another part sort of a relieved?

"Respectfully, of course." He adds in. "She said it had nothing to do with me personally, just that she felt that she was too old for me. Heh…" He closed his eyes for a moment. "I find it funny how boss monsters have a different idea of age compared to us other monsters."

You are speechless. You do not know how to respond to this… or how to process it, really. Was this what he seemed bother by earlier?

"Heh heh… sorry kid, didn't mean to lay that on you. I'm sure its weird for you when you think of her as your mom. I guess its not weird for me… age was never a concern for my kind. If you feel for someone, you should be honest, right? That always seemed like the right thing to do." He pauses, glancing over at you. "Don't worry about me, pal. I'm fine. I recover from those sorts of things quickly. And its not like she treats me any differently than before."

You nod, a weird feeling overcoming you. It almost feels like… jealousy?

"Anyway…" Sans trails off, changing the subject. "Enough about my recent drama… sup with you lately? Got any boyfriends at that school of yours? Are you old enough for dating according to 'mom'?" He gives you a wink.

You cough a little on your pie. You tell him its none of his business if you are dating any human boys or girls at your school.

Sans's expression shifts a bit. "Oh? Who said I was strictly talking about humans?" He winks again, resting his jaw-bone under his propped-up palm.

You feel hot around the collar…

"I know you were only a child back then, but didn't you go on a date with my brother?" He grins fiendishly, enjoying the tormenting teases.

You stammer at him that that was just a kiddy crush, and that you are over that phase… but then slide a comment in that you still think Papyrus is a cool friend.

"And didn't you flirt with many other monsters back then too?"

You struggle to produce any more convincing excuses… stuttering and blushing profusely.

"Heh heh… I'm just giving you a hard time. You can relax, kid. I'm surprised you haven't expressed any interested in dating again… I figured you would have by your age… unless I'm just getting left out of knowing?" He gives you a mischievous smile.

(What do you respond with?)

I just haven't found anyone yet… (Ch. 35)

There… is someone… (Ch. 37)


	19. Chapter 19

You hesitate at first but then ask Sans if he's alright. You make it in a friendly, nonchalant tone to seem a bit more casual.

"Huh? Oh… yeah, kid, 'course." He grins his signature grin. "You ever get something stuck in your head? Like… a dream or an idea… and it just… loops in your head a lot?"

You nod, with total surprise. You know _exactly_ what that's like…

"It's just that… Can't stop seeing the same things over and over…" He chuckles.

You smile sheepishly back. But you for some reason aren't fully convinced.

Sans looks back at the TV and selects a new character. "There ya go, pal… maybe you'll have more of a fighting chance."

You scoff at him, knowing that is in no way true… he seems to have played this game a LOT, and must be good with all the characters by now.

You pick your new character and the next fight begins!

Round 1… FIGHT!

Again, you attempt to hit buttons in what seems like a rapid, combo order… hoping something good will happen.

…

Your character does a lot of fancy kicks and flips in the air before falling off the stage and dying.

…

Both of you are quite for a second…

"Whooooops." He says, making sure to drag that comment out long and hard. He is chuckling up a storm now.

You blush, explaining that this version's controls have totally changed.

"Uh, kid? They are exactly the same." Sans comments, still chuckling.

You feel more flustered, and demand that your controller is broken.

"Heh… well, okay. Here, use mine instead."

He passes his controller on to you, and you give him yours. "Now you'll have an advantage since we switched characters and I have one loss." He winks at you.

You feel frustrated that even with Sans offering so many handicaps, you were still managing to get dunked on… and yet a weird giddiness was bubbling in your stomach. The mockery was normally, but he seemed to be going more easy on you than usual.

Round 2… FIGHT!

You keep your character still. You decide to let Sans have the first move and try to react to it.

"Ohhh… I see." Sans says, accepting the challenge.

…

At lightning speed, his character is already on top of yours, and beating it into a merciless pulp.

Frantically, you smash buttons in response. But his character seems to have you pinned down.

Then with one final swoop, his character uppercuts yours into the air and they go flying… gone…

Fight… End.

Sans leans back with his hands behind his skull now and eye-sockets closed, soaking in the glory of victory. "What can I say…" He starts. "I told you your butt was gonna get owned."

You start to comment back with a 'yeah, yeah…' but then his comment suddenly gives you a weird image. Oh no… now the thought won't leave your head. Your face is starting to glow brightly, and you're sure of it.

Sans opens an eye to stare. "Hmm?" But seeing your face, he just grins even more than usual. "Well, well, well… finally hit that stage where you find any little thing someone said to sound dirty?"

You start to defend yourself by saying you weren't thinking of anything dirty… and that maybe you were coming down with a cold…. it was a poor excuse, but it's all you could think of on the spot.

Sans does seem convinced by it at all. His grin only seems to get wider. You can see by his expression that he's about to expand on the topic to make you more embarrassed when-

"BROTHER! I HAVE RETURNED!" Papyrus comes flying (almost literally) through the front door, one arm full of grocery bags and the other pointing dramatically in the air as he hovers a few seconds for his glorious pose.

"Sup, bro. Find everything alright?" Sans says, not even phased by his brothers performance. You, on the other hand, jump several inches off the couch in alarm, but quickly recover, trying to play it cool.

"AH! OF COURSE, I DID. WHY… HOW COULD THE GREAT PAPYRUS HAVE ANY TROUBLE WITH SUCH A SIMPLE TASK!" Papyrus pauses to look over, and he notices you sitting with Sans on the couch. "OH! HUMAN! YOU ARE OVER! … ER, RIGHT. I ALMOST FORGOT SANS INVITED YOU OVER TO PLAY GAMES…HMMM… WELL HUMAN… I HATE TO ASK, BUT COULD YOU BY CHANCE LEAVE NOW? I WANT YOUR BIRTHDAY DINNER TO BE A SURPRISE! I CAN'T HAVE YOU TEMPTED TO LOOK IN AND SEE WHAT IT IS WHILE YOU ARE HERE!"

You nod, understanding and start to make your way to the door, when you are stopped by a grab to your upper arm.

"Hey… why don't we just go out and grab a bite?" Sans offers. His skeletal hand was still gently grasping your arm.

You are about to say sure, when the long pause of contact between the two of you starts to get you flustered. You slowly nod your head, instead.

"Heh, cool… There's a diner I've been going to, almost as good as Grillby's use to be. And don't worry 'bout it, I'm treating you for your b-day." He watches you carefully, noticing your face getting red, and smiles wider.

You nod again, excitement bubbling in you. It had been a while since you've eaten at a new restaurant.

"THANKS FOR UNDERSTANDING, HUMAN!" Papyrus beams. "I'LL SEE YOU LATER TONIGHT! BE READY FOR THE MOST AMAZING BIRTHDAY DINNER EVER!"

You thank him sincerely, and exit out the door with Sans.

…

The diner isn't too crowded so you both claim a decent booth by a window. The waiter comes by and serves you drinks, then excuses himself to let you make a choice off the menu.

"Get whatever you want, kid. It's on me." Sans reminds you.

You thank him, trying to hide your cheeks with your menu, incase they are still glowing. What was the point? He already noticed earlier…

The waiter comes back. "Did you two want a candle lit, by chance?"

What an odd question, you thought at first. That's awfully fancy… diners did stuff like that now? But then you suddenly understand the context of that question…! You are about to dismiss him, when-

"Sure, man. Thanks." Sans says, relaxed as ever.

Oh dear, you are pretty sure your face is turning a deeper shade of red…

Sans looks over, resting a hand under his chin again and gives you another wink.

What are you suppose to make of that?! Now it definitely feels like a date!

"So, what're you going to get?"

You hesitate, looking back at the menu again. You hadn't even made a choice yet…

Now the waiter was over again with a lit candle. He set it on the table and reached to dim the overhead lamp. You are staring at the waiter rather intensely, even though you don't mean to… he was making this even more awkward for you.

"Are you two ready to order?" The waiter asks.

Sans looks back at you, waiting for you to order first.

Sweat is dripping down your neck as your eyes frantically scan over the menu, trying to pick something…

You settle for something simple and make your request. Sans grins and orders the same thing for himself.

"So… you've started high school, already, huh?" Sans asks casually, rubbing the back of his skull.

You remind him that you've already been in high school for about 2 years now.

"Wow… time sure has gone by." Sans then leans over the outside of the booth and stares passed you.

You turn to look at what he was looking at but don't see anything in particular.

"See? I just saw it run by again…"

You start giggling at his silly joke. He grins happily to see you laugh, even if the joke was weaker than normal.

The atmosphere in the diner feels nice… even though you felt a little weird about the waiter thinking you two were on a date… you still feel full of determination to just sit with your old friend and enjoy a meal together.

"Frisk…"

You snap your attention back to Sans. His voice sounded serious all of a sudden.

"I gotta ask… That look you had when I told you about things getting stuck in your head… you know exactly what I mean… don't you?"

The tone feels like it took a 180 degree turn now. You swallow hard…

You explain that you related to his comment because you've been having reoccurring dreams.

He seems intrigued now. But not necessarily in a positive way…

"What were the dreams about?"

You don't answer right away…

Sans' gaze shifts around a little bit. "Uh, I mean… if you are cool to talk about it."

You feel comfortable enough with Sans to share the nightmares you have been having. You explain to him that a certain golden flower continued to haunt you in your dreams and attack you. The dreams normally ended with you dying in different, gruesome ways and you would wake in a cold sweat. You explain the details of how it feels very real and almost familiar; as if you had experienced all the different times you have died before, but the moment you awoke, you knew they were just dreams. You leave out the name of the said flower and how much more of its personality you know assuming that Sans, like the rest of everyone else, doesn't remember much from those dire moments of your real encounter with it.

Sans' expression seems to tense after you finish explaining. The moment you had mentioned the flower, you thought you saw recognition flash over his face. "Hmmm…" He says finally, after it being quiet for a bit.

You find Sans stern expression and lack of friendly chatter very uncharacteristic. You also wish to question him if he knew anything else about the flower, but instead you simply ask him again if he's alright.

"Yeah, kid. Don't go worrying about me, you're the one having bad dreams so frequently." He gives you a friendly wink. "I find it interesting… because, well… I use to have the same problem."

Your eyes widen. You listen intently.

"Back a few years before you had come to the Underground, I also had reoccurring dreams. And they were also very unpleasant." His face seemed to grow a bit somber. "Very detailed, extensive things… that happened to me and the others I cared about… It became repetitive too… and started to form an endless cycle. I got use to the repetition, and became numb to it."

His story hits you with a feeling of deja-vu. You almost feel like you've heard him explain this scenario to you before…

"They eventually stopped. Then you came along and freed us all. And I haven't really had the problem ever since." He grins widely, as if you were the sole reason for him getting better.

You blush a bit and smile back, but you aren't fully satisfied with his story. You definitely feel like he knows more and is choosing to not tell.

"Enough of my lame talk…" He says, shrugging it off. "Don't wanna turn you into a lemon on our fun outing…" he pauses to see your confused expression, "What with a sour mood and all."

You slap a hand to your face, but can't hold back a few giggles.

"Take it from me, Frisk, its probably a phase and it won't last forever. You saw some pretty heavy stuff down in the Underground, being only a human child with no experience of monster life… it makes sense if you have nightmares about it."

You nod, gracious for the friendly understanding. Still, the nagging feeling of wanting to know more about Sans' experiences stirs around in you.

(Say anything about it?)

Ask him about the golden flower (Ch. 38)

Ask him more about his dreams (Ch. 40)

Don't say anything… (Ch. 42)


	20. Chapter 20

You hesitate but then ask Sans if he wants to play another round. He perks up immediately at this idea. Seems like it was better to not mention what you noticed…

Sans looks back at the TV and selects a new character. "There ya go, pal… maybe you'll have more of a fighting chance."

You scoff at him, knowing that is in no way true… he seems to have played this game a LOT, and must be good with all the characters by now.

You pick your new character and the next fight begins!

Round 1… FIGHT!

Again, you attempt to hit buttons in what seems like a rapid, combo order… hoping something good will happen.

…

Your character does a lot of fancy kicks and flips in the air before falling off the stage and dying.

…

Both of you are quite for a second…

"Whooooops." He says, making sure to drag that comment out long and hard. He is chuckling up a storm now.

You blush, explaining that this version's controls have totally changed.

"Uh, kid? They are exactly the same." Sans comments, still chuckling.

You feel more flustered, and demand that your controller is broken.

"Heh… well, okay. Here, use mine instead."

He passes his controller on to you, and you give him yours. "Now you'll have an advantage since we switched characters and I have one loss." He winks at you.

You feel frustrated that even with Sans offering so many handicaps, you were still managing to get dunked on… and yet a weird giddiness was bubbling in your stomach. The mockery was normally, but he seemed to be going more easy on you than usual.

Round 2… FIGHT!

You keep your character still. You decide to let Sans have the first move and try to react to it.

"Ohhh… I see." Sans says, accepting the challenge.

…

At lightning speed, his character is already on top of yours, and beating it into a merciless pulp.

Frantically, you hit buttons randomly in response. But his character seems to have you pinned down.

Then with one final swoop, his character uppercuts yours into the air and they go flying… gone…

Fight… End.

Sans leans back with his hands behind his skull now and eye-sockets closed, soaking in the glory of victory. "What can I say…" He starts. "I told you your butt was gonna get owned."

You start to comment back with a 'yeah, yeah…' but then his comment suddenly gives you a weird image. Oh no… now the thought won't leave your head. Your face is starting to glow brightly, and your sure of it.

Sans opens an eye to stare. "Hmm?" But seeing your face, he just grins even more than usual. "Well, well, well… finally hit that stage where you find any little thing someone said to sound dirty?"

You start to defend yourself by saying you weren't thinking of anything dirty… and that maybe you were coming down with a cold…. it was a poor excuse, but it's all you could think of on the spot.

Sans does seem convinced by it at all. His grin only seems to get wider. You can see by his expression that he's about to expand on the topic to make you more embarrassed when-

"BROTHER! I HAVE RETURNED!" Papyrus comes flying (almost literally) through the front door, one arm full of grocery bags and the other pointing dramatically in the air as he hovers a few seconds for his glorious pose.

"Sup, bro. Find everything alright?" Sans says, not even phased by his brothers performance. You, on the other hand, jump several inches off the couch in alarm, but quickly recover, trying to play it cool.

"AH! OF COURSE, I DID! WHY… HOW COULD THE GREAT PAPYRUS HAVE ANY TROUBLE WITH SUCH A SIMPLE TASK?" Papyrus pauses to look over, and he notices you sitting with Sans on the couch. "OH! HUMAN! YOU ARE OVER! … ER, RIGHT. I ALMOST FORGOT SANS INVITED YOU OVER TO PLAY GAMES…HMMM… WELL HUMAN… I HATE TO ASK, BUT COULD YOU BY CHANCE LEAVE NOW? I WANT YOUR BIRTHDAY DINNER TO BE A SURPRISE! I CAN'T HAVE YOU TEMPTED TO LOOK IN AND SEE WHAT IT IS WHILE YOU ARE HERE!"

You nod, understanding and start to make your way to the door, when you are stopped by a grab to your upper arm.

"Hey… why don't we just go out and grab a bite?" Sans offers. His skeletal hand was still gently grasping your arm.

You are about to say sure, when the long pause of contact between the two of you starts to get you flustered. You slowly nod your head, instead.

"Heh, cool… There's a diner I've been going to, almost as good as Grillby's use to be. And don't worry 'bout it, I'm treating you for your b-day." He watches you carefully, noticing your face getting red, and smiles wider.

You nod again, excitement bubbling in you. It had been a while since you've eaten at a new restaurant.

"THANKS FOR UNDERSTANDING, HUMAN!" Papyrus beams. "I'LL SEE YOU LATER TONIGHT! BE READY FOR THE MOST AMAZING BIRTHDAY DINNER EVER!"

You thank him sincerely, and exit out the door with Sans.

…

The diner isn't too crowded so you both claim a decent booth by a window. The waiter comes by and serves you drinks, then excuses himself to let you make a choice off the menu.

"Get whatever you want, kid. It's on me." Sans reminds you.

You thank him, trying to hide your cheeks with your menu, incase they are still glowing. What was the point? He already noticed earlier…

The waiter comes back. "Did you two want a candle lit, by chance?"

What an odd question, you thought at first. That's awfully fancy… diners did stuff like that now? But then you suddenly understand the context of that question…! You are about to dismiss him, when-

"Sure, man. Thanks." Sans says, relaxed as ever.

Oh dear, you are pretty sure your face is turning a deeper shade of red…

Sans looks over, resting a hand under his chin again and gives you another wink.

What are you suppose to make of that?! Now it definitely feels like a date!

"So, what're you going to get?"

You hesitate, looking back at the menu again. You hadn't even made a choice yet…

Now the waiter was over again with a lit candle. He set it on the table and reached to dim the overhead lamp. You are staring at the waiter rather intensely, even though you don't mean to… he was making this even more awkward for you.

"Are you two ready to order?" The waiter asks.

Sans looks back at you, waiting for you to order first.

Sweat is dripping down your neck as your eyes frantically scan over the menu, trying to pick something… but your mind isn't actually taking in any of the words on the pages. You look back up for a brief moment and notice Sans is still staring you down, waiting… You look back at the menu concentrating harder… but Sans' stare keeps stealing your eyes back up. The pressure was building to uncomfortable levels…

"C'mon, kid, I know I'm good looking, but I'm not edible… So use those hungry eyes of yours to read the menu instead…" Sans chuckles.

You hear the waiter give a small scoffing laugh, and you completely hide your face behind the menu now… He did NOT just call you out like that in front of some stranger…

"Give us a few more minutes, thanks." Sans says casually to dismiss the waiter again.

Once he's gone, you lower the menu again, giving Sans a death glare. The skeleton is having a fit of laughter now…

"Ha ha! I'm sorry, kid… I couldn't help it, it was a great set-up." He's wiping the front of his skull, trying to compose himself again. "Hey, even if it's your birthday, I still gotta give you some trouble here and there." He shrugs, his wide, signature grin returning to his face.

You look back to the menu with a huff and finally pick out an entree. Your face feels like its going back to normal…

You feel something brush your leg under the table. Well you thought you did… until you notice it's still resting up against your calf. You look at Sans first who is casually looking over the menu still. Then you glance under the table. His tibia bone was resting against the outside of your leg. Instantly your face is burning hot! Why was he doing this? Why wasn't he looking at you when he did it? Does he not notice he's resting his leg on yours?

Sans glances up. "Something up? What's with that face?" He's grinning at you all the same though. It's hard to tell if he's aware of his position on you or not.

The atmosphere is thick and full of tension (or so you feel), but you are determined to ask anyway…

(What do you ask?)

Is this a date?! (Ch. 39)

Why are you messing with me so much? (Ch. 41)


	21. Chapter 21

You walk outside again, still avoiding the flowers in the yard. As your feet guide you down the street, you find yourself walking towards Papyrus and Sans's House.

The house looks like a hand crafted club house. Small essences of their old place in Snowdin probably inspired it.

You knock on the door.

No answer…

You reach to knock again, but…

"Hey, kid, c'mon… what're you missin'?" Sans voice comes from the other side of the door.

Oh right… You say 'knock knock.'

"Who's there…?"

You think for a moment…. Your head is so full of the weird things that have been happening today that you can't think of one simple knock knock joke… So you say… 'Papyrus.'

"….Papyrus who?"

You respond with a very awkward 'Nyeh heh heh!'

Sans slowly opens the door and stares at you with disappointment…

"That was probably your weakest one yet…."

You shrug sheepishly. You feel self-conscious already that your face is blushed.

"So what's up, kid? Decide to play some video games after all?" Sans grins with a challenging shine in his left eye.

You shake your head, apologizing to decline the offer again. You ask if Papyrus is home.

"Ah… yeah, 'course he is. After he got back, he's been in the kitchen working on your dinner tonight." He side-eyes you, and notices a shade of red coming to your cheeks. "Huh? What's with that look, kid?"

You put your hands to your cheeks and shake your head, dismissing it as nothing. Sans gives you a cheeky grin and you fear he can read your mind.

"Look, kid… I was actually told that I'm not suppose to let you in if you happen to come over… buuuuut…" His voice trails off and he gives you a mischievous look. "I bet you are determined to spy on ol' Paps, huh?"

You start to explain that you are mostly just too eager to see how he prepares the meal since he made a big fuss over it.

"Suuuure, sure." Sans says, winking again. "And besides… I've always been pretty bad at giving any kind of care if a human sneaks past me…"

You grin up at him now. Sans is subtly offering to let you sneak into the house!

Casually, Sans turns a cheekbone to his left and you dart between him and the open door on the right.

Quickly, you make a dive behind the couch just on the inside of the living room. Since the house has almost an exact layout of the one in Snowdin, you are safely out of sight form the kitchen across from you.

"SANS! WHO WAS AT THE DOOR?" You hear Papyrus' voice shouting.

Sans casually sweeps his head left and right, as if still looking for something outside, then closes the door and turns to face his brother. "No one… I bet its a lil' kid pranking us." He flashes you a smile real quick before he leaves your eyesight. From the sound of it, he's walking into the kitchen.

"AHH, THOSE DARN KIDS! ANYWAY, SANS! TAKE A TASTE OF THIS, TELL ME IF YOU THINK ITS MISSING ANYTHING…"

You hear Sans make a scoffing noise. "Really, bro? I thought you always got this stuff perfectly."

"OF COURSE I DO! I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS, THE UNPARALLELED SPAGHETTORE! I ALWAYS MAKE THE MOST EXQUISITE OF PASTA! BUT…" You hear Papyrus pause, as he seems to fumble with something before he continues. "I WANT TO MAKE THIS PASTA EVEN BETTER THAN PERFECT! ITS FOR FRISK'S BIRTHDAY, AFTER ALL!" There is a long pause after that.

There he goes again, using your real name. Immediately, Sans comments on this too.

"Heh, I've never heard you use the kid's name before…"

"WELL… ER… ITS A SPECIAL OCCASION. AFTER ALL, IT IS THE HUMAN'S BIRTHDAY! TO TELL YOU THE TRUTH… I THINK I DID THAT EARLIER TODAY AND IT EVEN SURPRISED HER. SHE LOOKED RATHER ALARMED BY IT… DO YOU THINK SHE DOESN'T LIKE ME USING HER REAL NAME?"

"Nah…" Sans reassures him. "If anything…She _adores_ it."

Your face is burning hot again… Darn you, Sans!

Papyrus lets out a signature giggle of 'Nyeh heh heh's. "WELL, GOOD! MAYBE I'LL START USING HER REAL NAME MORE NOW! IF SHE LIKED IT SO MUCH, WHY DIDN'T SHE SAY ANYTHING BEFORE? ANYWAY… SANS!" There is another pause. "GO ON, TASTE IT!"

You hear a slurping sounds and a muffled cough.

"WELL?"

There's a moment silence. "Pretty good, bro. I definitely can say its better than usual."

"AHHH! YES! I HAVE ACHIEVED A PASTA BETTER THAN PERFECT!"

You think that it's far from the truth, but maybe Sans was right, and that it is _better_ than usual.

You chance to take a peak around the edge of the couch. In the kitchen, you can make out two huge cooking pots lit on the stove's burners and several mixing bowls and pans on the counter. Papyrus is wearing a new cooking outfit. It looks to be a professional chief's buttoned top and slacked black pants. The signature chef hat from this morning is still propped up on his head. This looks… much more flattering to his body shape than the old apron he use to wear…

"So, bro… how was shopping with the kid?"

You wonder why Sans is not dropping the subject of you… probably to embarrass you more, no doubt…

"IT WAS TONS OF FUN! WE-"

"Was it skele-tons of fun? Because you were ther-"

"SANS! DON'T START THAT NOW! YES, IT WAS FUN! I GOT TO SPOIL HER WITH BUYING MANY EXTRA INGREDIENTS SHE WANTED FOR THIS DINNER. THERE WAS A MOMENT THOUGH WHEN SHE WONDERED OFF… IT WAS STRANGE, AND OUT OF NO WHERE. BUT I CAME RUSHING TO HER SIDE AND HELPED GUIDE HER BACK OUT THE DANGEROUS GRASPS OF THE SUPERMARKET."

Sans chuckled and gave his brother a thumbs up. "Swell job, Paps. You could say… you were her knight in shining armor?" You see Sans flash a smirk in your direction. Papyrus doesn't notice it. You shoot death glares at him from the shadows of the couch, hoping he at least picks up on your vibes. Your face feels so warm now…

"UH… I SUPPOSE SO." Papyrus looks a bit flustered and he makes shifty eyes around the room, as if the walls were listening. "YOU KNOW, SANS… I'VE NOTICED I FEEL DIFFERENT AROUND FRISK, NOW."

Sans looks surprised and intrigued. "How do you mean?" he asks. From the look of his face, he was not expecting his brother to openly express this, and now of all times. You weren't either, but your heart is beating fast and you listen intently.

"I USE TO THINK OF THE HUMAN AS A GREAT, COOL FRIEND! AND ALMOST LIKE A YOUNGER SIBLING… IN A WAY. THAT'S… WHY I COULDN'T GO ON ANOTHER DATE AFTER OUR FIRST ONE… IT DIDN'T FEEL ROMANTIC AT ALL… BUT… NOW I AM STARTING TO NOTICE LITTLE THINGS ABOUT THEM MORE AND MORE. AND I FEEL GOOD WHEN I MAKE THEM SMILE… SANS…" The taller skeleton is blushing and his oven-mitt hands cover his mouth. "IS… IS… THAT WHAT IT MEANS TO FEEL ROMANTIC TOWARDS SOMEONE?"

Sans pats his brother on his back and sighs with a large grin. "Bro, it isn't that simple. But it does sound like you have new feelings towards Frisk. Maybe you should talk to her about them?"

"YES! THAT IS A BRILLIANT IDEA! FRISK WANTED TO GO ON A DATE WITH ME THOSE MANY YEARS AGO, I'M SURE EVEN NOW THEY WILL LOVE TO HEAR ABOUT HOW I FEEL! AND… MAYBE…" He cuts himself off and dismisses it. You think you saw his face even redder than before! "I… I SHOULD GET BACK TO COOKING!" He quickly wheels around and frantically starts to work with the pots and pans scattered around him.

You feel stunned and your heart is racing in the back of your throat. A warm, tingling feeling is bursting in your chest. You can't help but smile. Are you dreaming? Are you dreaming a pleasant dream for once?

Sans looks after his brother for a moment, then when he concludes Papyrus is fully focused on his work, he walks over to the couch and crouches down next to you. "(Hey.)" He whispers to you. "(You're welcome. Now, if you wanna sneak outta here without being noticed by Paps, I'm about to make a distraction. So get ready to run.)"

You look at him in alarm. Suddenly Sans shouts and points to the upstairs part of the house. "Papyrus! I just saw that white dog again! He's heading for your room and your box of bone attacks!"

"WHAT!" Papyrus immediately abandons his post and dashes up the stairs. Sans, in turn, softly opens the front door wide enough for you to slip through. You make a made dash for it, not risking to look back. "Don't let him get away, bro!" You hear Sans still encouraging the distraction as the door shuts behind you.

Your heart is still hammering and your head feeling dizzy with glee. You make a fast walk away from the house. You start to have a little skip in your step and you can't help but beam with joy.

…

(Where to now?)

Undyne's Place (Ch. 43)

Back home to wait for the party (Ch. 44)


	22. Chapter 22

You take a bus to head over to Undyne's place. The bus drops you off at your stop.

It is early afternoon now.

You knock on her door.

Undyne answers the door. When she sees you, her fangs jut out with a toothy-smile. "Punk! Heya! Happy Birthday!" She suddenly grabs you tight in her strong arms. "C'meeerrre!" She gives you a huge bearhug.

"U-Undyne! Don't strangle Frisk!" Alphys comes into view from around the door frame. "H-Hi, Frisk! Happy Birthday!"

Undyne releases you from her death grip. You gasp a wheezy greetings to them both… and thank them for the birthday wishes.

"No prob! So what's up? We weren't planning on seeing you until tonight."

You explain that you had a birthday breakfast with Sans and Papyrus and did shopping with Papyrus for the dinner tonight. Then you told them you wanted to hang out while everyone else works on their own surprises.

"Awwww! Why didn't they invite us over for breakfast too? Although… I probably was still asleep that early…" Undyne comments. "But that sounds great! I hope you picked out stuff that will make it easier for Papyrus to cook… It can't be any worse than last year's…" She pauses and looks at you. "Uhuh? What's with that look?"

You realize your face must be turning red again from talking about Papyrus. You instinctually reach for your sweater collar, but then immediately tear your hands away from it, worried that that would look even more obvious.

"A-Are you cold? Why don't you come inside?" Alphys suggests. They both let you in.

"Want some soda? Undyne and I opened a new liter just a lil while ago… we are watching.. uh… the new season of Mew Mew Kissie Cutie." She says with a flushed smile.

As much as that soda hurts your teeth, you accept her offer. As Alphys tends to the beverage in the kitchen, Undyne suddenly corners you!

"Look, punk!" She demands, suddenly wicked intimidating! "You can fool Alphys, but you can't fool me! You were not cold outside… You were blushing! What are you hiding? Why would you hide secrets from your besties?"

You feel sweat trickling down your temples. Your face is practically glowing.

"PWAHAHA! You see?! You have such a tell! Now spill it!"

"H-hey?! Undyne? What's going on?" Alphys rejoins the conversation.

"Our dear friend, Frisk, is keeping precious gossipy secrets from us!" Undyne roars.

"Wh-wha?" Alphys looks flustered and confused.

"Go on, Frisk! We are listening!"

You.. stammer that… you've been getting weird vibes from Papyrus.

"Weird… vibes?" Alphys asks tentatively, unlike the looming presence of the fish lady. "What do you mean?"

You then explain that Papyrus called you by your real name for the first time at the grocery store. And that it gave you this weird feeling in your stomach…

Undyne squints hard into your terrified eyes. "Weird bad or weird good?"

You gesture 'good' with a weak thumbs-up.

"Oh…" A click seems to happen in Alphys head.

"OHHHHHHhhhh… Wait. A. Second!" Undyne says. A smirk creeps up her face… then a cackle escapes her mouth.

"… … Ph… phphtt… PPPHHHHTTTTTWA HA HA HA HA HA!" Undyne bursts a gut.

You flush, looking down shamefully.

"WAHAHA! ALL THIS TIME! AHAHA! YOU STILL CRUSHING ON OL' PAPS?!" Undyne is dying of amusement.

"O-oh Frisk… that is so… so cute!" Alphys flushes, putting her clawed hands to her cheeks. "I totally thought you gave up on him when he friend-zoned you on your first date…"

You shake your head, still burning red.

"That… i-is…" She tries to continue over Undyne's continuous hoots and hollers of laughter on the floor. "That is dedication, i-if I do say so myself!" Her voice lowers to more whispers… "S-so… …so cute… I thought…. a good couple… from their first date…" She looks up quickly, seeing you were trying to hear her mumbles. "O-oh! Well… Frisk, I think you shouldn't give up!"

Undyne finally collects herself to your relief and stands up. "Eheh.. heh… Look, punk. I think he's a lost cause… For one, he friend-zoned you already. And two, he's too thick headed to take a hint. Here is someone as genuinely nice as you who could be good for him, but he won't be able to see you romantically because of your long history as friends!"

"Well, I-I think she has a chance!" Alphys announces. Undyne gives her a skeptical look. "I-I mean…" Alphys continues, "Papyrus friend-zoned her so long ago. Frisk is all grown up now!" Alphys makes curvy hand gestures to suggest Frisk's body shape. "S-she's becomes a lovely person now…" Alphys quickly regrets the last comment a little when she sees Undyne's slightly jealous glance.

"Well…" Undyne says, thinking on her friend's comments. "Ah what the heck… Maybe you got a chance, punk. You just gotta be really, REALLY patient with this one. It may take a lot to get it through that thick skull of his. Heck, you might have to be stabbingly blunt, too. And I mean it! Stab your affection right into his week spot! In between his ribs!" Suddenly, Undyne is bursting with enthusiasm about this.

"Er…" Alphys doesn't seem to agree with Undyne's literal tactics. "Uh.. Frisk… so when Papyrus was with you at the grocery store, did he comment on his weird behavior at all?"

You shake your head.

"Oh… m-maybe he's confused?" Alphys suggests.

"Yeah! I would be too! If suddenly someone I friend-zoned became suddenly really attractive to me… I wouldn't know what to do…" Undyne says.

Alphys looks quiet and her face more of a shade of orange. You smile to yourself. Seems Undyne did know what to do at that particular time…

"Well, punk, I think you know what needs to be done now!"

You do?

"You need to confess your true feelings ONCE AGAIN!"

You feel your soul quiver in fear. You think you felt yourself loose 5 hp…

"Don't look so worried! Because, as your true bestest of all best friends, we are gonna help you out with this problem!" Undyne explains.

"W-we are? How are we gonna do that?" Alphys asks.

"Duh! We are going to…" She pauses for dramatic effect. Her face tenses up and you can see every fang in her mouth from her outrageous smile. "ROLEPLAY!"

You and Alphys gasp. The room suddenly feels 50 degrees hotter. This feels even more embarrassing than Toriel calling you out…

"Now… Alphys and I will take turns being Papyrus. And you are gonna practice talking to him and telling him the truth!" Undyne says.

You quiver in your boots.

"Alphys… you go first!" Undyne demands.

"Wh-wha? Oh… uh… okay… ahem…" Alphys clears her throat and stands up as straight and tall as she can. She sucks all the air into her chest and puffs it out, almost perfectly mimicking Papyrus's shape. "AHEM! HUMAN! IT IS I, THE GLORIOUS PAPYRUS!"

You and Undyne burst into laughter. Alphys impression was pure gold.

"H-hey…! I'm doing my best…" Alphys whines.

Undyne suddenly stops and looks serious again. "Yeah, punk! Stop laughing and take this seriously! Otherwise you won't be able to do this for realz!"

Alphys puffs up her chest again to imitate Papyrus.

You pretend you greet Papyrus.

"UH.. HUMAN! YOU LOOK LIKE YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY. WHAT IS IT?" Alphys says in her best Papyrus voice.

(What do you say?)

I enjoyed shopping with you earlier… (Ch. 45)

Damn, you one hot skeleton! (Ch.46)


	23. Chapter 23

You look down, feeling awkward about this. You tell 'him' he looks nice today.

"No, no, no! Not direct enough!" Undyne exclaims. "Papyrus will think that's just a normal, friendly comment and you know it! Say something else!"

(What do you say?)

Damn, you look sexy! (Ch. 24)

… (Ch. 25)


	24. Chapter 24

You blush, but attempt to be confident. You tell 'Papyrus' that he is one hot set of bones.

"AH! UH! TH-THANK YOU? … Uh… I don't really know what Papyrus would do with such a comment…" Alphys admits.

"Ugh… Well that was a good try, Frisk! Now lets try another one!" This time Undyne clears her through and screws up her face into a weird smile mimicking Papyrus's natural expression. "WHY, HUMAN. YOU ARE LOOKING RATHER PRETTY TODAY! DID YOU DO SOMETHING TO YOUR HAIR? AHH… THAT PASSIONATE LOOK IN YOUR EYES… WHAT IS IT THAT YOU WANT TO TELL ME, HUMAN?"

The pressure is one! The room feels like it's on fire!

(What do you say?)

This is too weird for me! (Ch. 26)

Papyrus, I… (Ch. 27)


	25. Chapter 25

You stand there, frozen to the spot. This feels too embarrassing to think of anything to say…

Undyne makes a face that looks like disgust and impatience. "UUUGHH! C'MON Frisk! Be braver! I know you have it in you!"

Flustered and ashamed for letting Undyne down, you concentrate a bit harder. You are now filled with determination…?

"Now lets try another one! I'll be Papyrus now!" This time, Undyne clears her through and screws up her face into a weird smile mimicking Papyrus's natural expression. "WHY, HUMAN. YOU ARE LOOKING RATHER PRETTY TODAY! DID YOU DO SOMETHING TO YOUR SKIN? AHH… THAT PASSIONATE LOOK IN YOUR EYES… WHAT IS IT THAT YOU WANT TO TELL ME, HUMAN?"

The pressure is one! The room feels like it's on fire!

(What do you say?)

This is too weird for me! (Ch. 26)

Papyrus, I… (Ch. 27)


	26. Chapter 26

You can't handle it! You shout that this feels awkward and that you don't like it!

"…Uh, oh.. sorry about that, punk!" Undyne responds, a bit taken-aback. "Why didn't you say so in the first place?"

"…F-Frisk… we're sorry…" Alphys says, slouching more than usual. She looks a bit ashamed. "We were… just trying to help…"

You apologize as well. And then you thank them for their thoughtfulness.

"Yeah… guess roleplaying isn't your thing. I bet you work better in the heat of the moment!" Undyne posses dramatically, her tone turning back around again. "I know you, you always stay determined! And so the moment you and Papyrus are alone, you can just swoop right in there and express your deepest, darkest, passionate feelings!"

You flush again, shrugging sheepishly.

"Y-yeah!" Alphys says, trying to be encouraging as well. "You can do it! You've been in more complex situations before. This should be a piece of cake for you!"

You grin widely, happy with your friends' encouragement.

They both pat you on the back.

"Oh! Almost forgot!" Undyne walks over to a bookshelf in the living room and reaches up to the top shelf. She grabs a pretty wrapped box from off the shelf that you hadn't noticed until now. "Here ya go, punk! It's a present from me n' Alphys! We were gonna give it to you later tonight, but maybe you should have it now! It might come in handy…"

You eagerly open the present and peer inside the box. You pull out a bright, red hair ribbon.

"Ta-DAH!" Both Undyne and Alphys chant together. "And it's not just… ANY ribbon…" Alphys continues. "T-try it on!"

You tie the ribbon in your hair and cross it into a pretty bow asymmetrically on the top of your head.

You feel your charm go up +2.

You feel your cuteness go up +3.

You feel your courage go up +5.

"Not bad, not bad!" Undyne comments, nodding with approval. Now you can use this to your advantage tonight against Papyrus!"

You shoot her a look in alarm. You ask 'why tonight'?

"DUUUHHH! C'mon, punk! Isn't it obvious?"

"Y-yeah, Frisk!" Alphys says, her face flushing with excitement. "Don't you see? Today is your birthday! And Papyrus will probably have something special planned for you and this will be the perfect chance to catch him alone and confess your love and maybe then he will confess his secret love for you and you will embraces in each other's arms slowly inching towards each other's faces and-" She stops when she sees your face turning into a neon pink light bulb. "I… heh… Anything could happen?"

You have a weird feeling that she might have written this as one of her many real-life based fan-fictions…

"But you have to tell him tonight! It's just too much of a perfect set-up! Don't waste this opportunity, punk!" Undyne demands, rather menacingly.

You feel like you have no choice, otherwise you will greatly disappoint your friends.

…

With one last grateful thanks for the birthday gift and the helpful advice, you take off with a farewell.

"See ya later tonight, punk!" Undyne waves.

"Bye-bye! Good luck tonight!" Alphys calls.

...

(Where to now?)

Sneak to Papyrus' House (Ch. 48)

Return home and wait for the party tonight (Ch. 47)


	27. Chapter 27

Your face blushes up rather intensely. You close your eyes for dramatic effect and place your hand on your heart.

You tell 'Papyrus' that he has always made you happy… and that… maybe… if you did the same for him… maybe you both could be more than just friends…? That you want to make him even more happy…?

"AH… AHHH HUMAN. YOU ARE BEING… SO HONEST… WH-WHAT… UH…. ARE YOU SUGGESTING THAT WE…?" Undyne struggles to keep in character. She is rather astonished at your passionate roleplaying skills.

You tell 'Papyrus' that he gives you a special yearning and that if he feels the same, you both should not hold back…

"O-OH…"

You tell 'Papyrus' that you so badly want him…

"Y-YOU DO?"

You want to hold him and touch him…

"OH M-M-MY!"

You want to kiss him and caress him and-

"OHHHkay… Frisk, I think you are getting too into this!" Undyne shouts, her face also blushing pink from the intensity in the room.

You snap back to reality, and cover your face with your hands. The words just fell out of your mouth so easily…

Alphys is brighter red than you. "S-so… much passion… Frisk! Your love is strong!" She seems deeply moved by your performance. Now you have a weird feeling this is going to inspire some real-life based fan-fiction out of her…

"I think you got this in the bag, punk!" Undyne says, sweating a bit but all the same, very proud. "You are gonna knock Papyrus dead! …Oh! Almost forgot!" Undyne walks over to a bookshelf in the living room and reaches up to the top shelf. You didn't notice it before, but she grabs a pretty wrapped box from off the shelf. "Here ya go, punk! It's a present from me n' Alphys! We were gonna give it to you later tonight, but maybe you should have it now! It might come in handy…"

You eagerly open the present and peer inside the box. You pull out a bright, red hair ribbon.

"Ta-DAH!" Both Undyne and Alphys chant together. "And it's not just… ANY ribbon…" Alphys continues. "T-try it on!"

You tie the ribbon in your hair and cross it into a pretty bow asymmetrically on the top of your head.

You feel your charm go up +5.

You feel your cuteness go up +3.

You feel your courage go up +2.

"Not bad, not bad!" Undyne comments, nodding with approval. Now you can use this to your advantage tonight against Papyrus!"

You shoot her a look in alarm. You ask why tonight?

"DUUUHHH! C'mon, punk! Isn't it obvious?"

"Y-yeah, Frisk!" Alphys says, her face flushing with excitement. "Don't you see? Today is your birthday! And Papyrus will probably have something special planned for you and will be the perfect chance to catch him alone! And since you already know how you feel and what to say, it should work out great!" She blushes, clapping her claws to her face as she imagines the best scenario.

"But you have to tell him tonight! It's just too much of a perfect set-up! Don't waste this opportunity, punk!" Undyne demands, rather menacingly.

You feel like you have no choice, otherwise you will greatly disappoint your friends.

…

With one last grateful thanks for the birthday gift and the helpful advice, you take off with a farewell.

"See ya later tonight, punk!" Undyne waves.

"Bye-bye! Good luck tonight!" Alphys calls.

...

(Where to now?)

Sneak to Papyrus' House (Ch. 48)

Return home and wait for the party tonight (Ch. 47)


	28. Chapter 28

Casually, Sans turns a cheekbone to his left and you dart between him and the open door on the right.

Quickly, you make a dive behind the couch just on the inside of the living room. Since the house has almost an exact layout of the one in Snowdin, you are safely out of sight form the kitchen across from you.

"SANS! WHO WAS AT THE DOOR?" You hear Papyrus' voice shouting.

Sans casually sweeps his head left and right, as if still looking for something outside, then closes the door and turns to face his brother. "No one… I bet its a lil' kid pranking us." He flashes you a smile real quick before he leaves your eyesight. From the sound of it, he's walking into the kitchen.

"AHH, THOSE DARN KIDS! ANYWAY, SANS! TAKE A TASTE OF THIS, TELL ME IF YOU THINK ITS MISSING ANYTHING…"

You hear Sans make a scoffing noise. "Really, bro? I thought you always got this stuff perfectly."

"OF COURSE I DO! I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS, THE UNPARALLELED SPAGHETTORE! I ALWAYS MAKE THE MOST EXQUISITE OF PASTA! BUT…" You hear Papyrus pause, as he seems to fumble with something before he continues. "I WANT TO MAKE THIS PASTA EVEN BETTER THAN PERFECT! ITS FOR FRISK'S BIRTHDAY, AFTER ALL!" There is a long pause after that.

There he goes again, using your real name. Immediately, Sans comments on this too.

"Heh, I've never heard you use the kid's name before…"

"WELL… ER… ITS A SPECIAL OCCASION. AFTER ALL, IT IS THE HUMAN'S BIRTHDAY! NOW, GO ON, TASTE IT!"

You hear a slurping sounds and a muffled cough.

"WELL?"

There's a moment silence. "Pretty good, bro. I definitely can say its better than usual."

"AHHH! YES! I HAVE ACHIEVED A PASTA BETTER THAN PERFECT!"

You feel like that isn't anywhere to being true, but maybe Sans was right, and that it is _better_ than usual.

You chance to take a peak around the edge of the couch. In the kitchen, you can make out two huge cooking pots lit on the stove's burners and several mixing bowls on the counter. Papyrus is wearing a new cooking outfit. It looks to be a professional chiefs buttoned top and slacked black pants. The signature chef hat from this morning is still propped up on his head. This looks… much more flattering to his body shape than the old apron he use to wear…

"So tell me, bro… Why this year are you making Frisk's birthday dinner so much more amazing than all others?"

You flush a bit… it's almost like Sans is continuing this conversation just so you can over hear it.

"WELL…" Papyrus starts, putting an index finger-bone to his chin. "I GOT THE IDEA BECAUSE IT'S HER SWEET-SIXTEEN! YOU KNOW WHAT THAT IS?" Sans shrugs, so Papyrus continues. "WE BOTH KNOW SIXTEEN IS WHAT HUMANS CONSIDER THE AGE OF MATURITY FOR THEIR KIND. AND FROM WHAT I HEAR AROUND HERE, THEY HOLD SPECIAL, ELABORATED PARTIES FOR THE HUMANS THAT TURN THIS AGE TO CELEBRATE THIS ACCOMPLISHMENT! IT'S A HUGE DEAL TO THEM! SO I WANTED FRISK TO HAVE THAT SPECIAL CELEBRATION… SINCE… THERE AREN'T MANY OTHER HUMANS IN HER LIFE. SO WHY DON'T WE DO IT, FOR THE SAKE OF HER SPECIES' CUSTOMS?"

Sans seems to be grinning fondly at his brother. "Wow, bro… that's a very genuinely sweet thing to do."

Papyrus puffs up his chest and grins widely. "WHAT ELSE WOULD YOU EXPECT FROM SUCH A COOL FRIEND AS I?" You notice his cheekbones are starting to turn a shade of pink. He makes a coughing sound and his eyes shift about, as if the walls are listening. "YOU KNOW, SANS… I'VE NOTICED I FEEL DIFFERENT AROUND FRISK, NOW."

Sans looks surprised and intrigued. "How do you mean?" he asks. From the look of his face, he was not expecting his brother to openly express this, and now of all times. You weren't either, but your heart is beating fast and you listen intently.

"I USE TO THINK OF THE HUMAN AS A WONDERFUL, COOL FRIEND! AND ALMOST LIKE A YOUNGER SIBLING… IN A WEIRD WAY. THAT'S… WHY I COULDN'T GO ON ANOTHER DATE AFTER OUR FIRST ONE… IT DIDN'T FEEL ROMANTIC AT ALL… BUT… NOW I AM STARTING TO NOTICE LITTLE THINGS ABOUT THEM MORE AND MORE. AND I FEEL GOOD WHEN I MAKE THEM SMILE… SANS…" The taller skeleton is blushing and his oven-mitt hands cover his mouth. "IS… IS… THIS WHAT IT MEANS TO FEEL LOVE TOWARDS SOMEONE?"

Sans pats his brother on his back and sighs with a large grin. "Bro, it isn't that simple. But it does sound like you have new feelings towards Frisk. Maybe you should talk to her about them?"

"YES! THAT IS A BRILLIANT IDEA! FRISK WANTED TO GO ON A DATE WITH ME THOSE MANY YEARS AGO, I'M SURE EVEN NOW THEY WILL LOVE TO HEAR ABOUT HOW I FEEL! AND… MAYBE…" He cuts himself off and dismisses it. You think you saw his face even redder than before! "I… I SHOULD GET BACK TO COOKING!" He quickly wheels around and frantically starts to work with the pots and pans scattered around him.

You feel stunned and your heart is racing in the back of your throat. A warm, tingling feeling is bursting in your chest. You can't help but smile. Are you dreaming? Are you dreaming a pleasant dream for once?

Sans looks after his brother for a moment, then when he concludes Papyrus is fully focused on his work, he walks over to the couch and crouches down next to you. "(Hey.)" He whispers to you. "(You're welcome. Now, if you wanna sneak outta here without being noticed by Paps, I'm about to make a distraction. So get ready to run your nerdy-butt outta here.)"

You look at him in alarm. Suddenly Sans shouts and points to the upstairs part of the house. "Papyrus! I just saw that white dog again! He's heading for your room and your box of bone attacks!"

"WHAT!" Papyrus immediately abandons his post and dashes up the stairs. Sans, in turn, softly opens the front door wide enough for you to slip through. You make a made dash for it, not risking to look back. Luckily, the battle armor seems to have increased your speed stat… "Don't let him get away, bro!" You hear Sans still encouraging the distraction as the door shuts behind you.

Your heart is still hammering and your head feeling dizzy with glee. You make a fast walk away from the house. You start to have a little skip in your step and you can't help but beam with joy.

…

(Go to Ch. 49 to return home and wait for the party tonight)


	29. Chapter 29

You bid farewell to Papyrus and walk down the streets towards the park.

"SEE YOU TONIGHT, HUMAN!" He shouts after you.

…

The park was nice and shady this time of year. And the smell of spring filled you with determination.

You walk over to the hot dog stand that stood nestled between two trees. The man running it greeted you. He seemed to have a vague memory of you… after all, you've come here a few times before with Sans.

You glance around, but don't see Sans anywhere… disappointment hits you again.

As you are about to leave, you see that the sun rays are shining down perfectly on the bench in the park. You walk over to it, fold the back of your dress against your legs and sit down. The sun rays feel soothing and warm. You feel a little better…

"Nice day, huh?"

You nearly jump out of your skin. Sans is suddenly sitting next to you!

You gasp from your scare and ask him where he came from.

"From there." He pointed a few inches away from where he sat. "And from there I came from there." He pointed another few inches away from the first spot. "And from there…"

What sass. You figured he was going to keep going like that until you stopped him. So you then asked why was he in the park.

"Why would I not be?" He grinned at you. Boy, he sure seemed to be in a playful mood. "By the way, happy birthday, kid."

You thank him, toying with the frilly edge of your dress.

"This place is always a nice place to take breaks at…" He looks forward, admiring the few in front of the two of you. "What brings you here?"

You hesitate. You feel too embarrassed to tell him you were looking for him specifically. So you say the park felt like a good choice.

"Fair enough…" He glances over at you and eyes the dress for a moment. You feel yourself get very warm in the face…. "Hmm… interesting new style you got." He chuckles a bit, looking rather thoughtful. "Guess I have competition for being the number one condiment lover."

That wasn't really the response you were looking for… but it could have been worse…?

"So how'd you know I was gonna be here?" He asks, casually.

You look taken-aback. You tell him you didn't know he'd be here…

He gives you a wink. "Ah, c'mon, kid… it's written all over you…" He looks back at the dress. "Or more drawn all over you."

Your face is definitely a visible red now. You can't think of a way out of this…

"I mean, why else would you come here wearing that if not to show it off to me?"

Confident jerk… he's reading you like a book…!

He chuckles some more. "Don't sweat it, Frisk. I admire the effort."

You look over him, a bit confused…

He gives you another wide grin. "An 'A' for effort… but honestly, you didn't have to go _that_ extreme to catch my attention. All you gotta do is just talk to me…"

You nod a bit, but still blushing all the same.

"If there is something you wanna say…" He is suddenly a little closer! And so quickly, you didn't even see him move. "Just say it, kid." He is face to face with you, only a few inches away.

It's hard to read his expression… you aren't quite sure where he's going with this, but you have a frightful idea. You gulp, sweat dripping down the side of your temples.

He continues to stare, unblinking and waiting. And that unfazed grin holding perfect on his eager face. What was he expecting you to say, exactly? You wish you knew…

(What do you say?)

You're right, I'm your new condiments lover rival! (Ch. 50)

Sans, I… (Ch. 51)


	30. Chapter 30

You stand there awkwardly. Suddenly the decision to come over doesn't feel like the right one…

"…What're you waiting for?" Sans asks, looking curious.

You shake your head, explaining that if Papyrus didn't want you over because he is working on a surprise, than you wouldn't come in.

Sans eyes you for a moment, then his signature grin returns to his face. "Well…" He pauses, still thinking. "Very respectful of you, kid. Not what I would have done…" He chuckles and shrugs. "It's cool, to each their _bone_."

You give him a hearty giggle and he gives you a wink.

"Well, kid, if you aren't gonna take the opportunity to come inside… I will inform you of this:" He pauses to see your face tense up. He's got your attention now. "Papyrus got up reeeeal early to start on this surprise… He's been slaving over it like crazy all day."

Your face flushes up again, flattered at Papyrus's efforts to make such a great surprise.

"He even off-handedly mentioned how much prettier you've gotten over the years…" One of his eye-sockets are closed, but he's still watching you with interest to see how you react.

You feel butterflies ricocheting around in your stomach! You immediately cover half of your face with your hands. You stutter at Sans that he better not be pulling your leg about this!

"What? Me?" He's grinning so widely now, enjoying this too much. "Why would I? I already got two myself, why would I be pulling on yours?"

You shoot him a glare. You know he knows the figure of speech and just can't help messing with you. You reassert your seriousness about this.

"Heh heh… yeah, kid. I'm not lying, though. He did actually say that." He smiles at you, a sort of smile a brother would make when talking fondly of his other sibling.

Those butterflies are still going crazy in your gut. Did Papyrus really think you were pretty…?

"Well, buddy, if I were you, I'd be prepared for that surprise tonight. And knowing my bro… maybe even a private speech."

You jolt a bit. A speech? Privately? What? _Why?_

Sans only winks at you again. You are about to ask him to elaborate on this when you hear ruckus coming from the kitchen behind him.

"SANS! WHO IS AT THE DOOR?"

"No one, bro… No one is out here…" And Sans closes the door as if you weren't still standing there.

Your heart is hammering hard, but you feel giddy and excited. What could Papyrus be wanting to speak to you about privately? You are so eager to know! Now you are REALLY excited for the party tonight.

You start to skip home full of glee, still not caring that you look like a total anime dork in your ridiculous battle girl outfit. Yet, you still give the blooming yellow flowers a wide birth on your way through the neighborhood.

(Go to Ch. 52 to wait until the party tonight)


	31. Chapter 31

You stand there awkwardly. Papyrus continues to smile down at you in a courteous, hospitable sort of way.

"WHAT'S WRONG, HUMAN?"

You ask Papyrus to let you in.

He is starting to sweat a bit. "HUMAN… LIKE I SAID, I CAN'T LET YOU IN BECAUSE I'M WORKING ON A SURPRISE FOR YOU!"

You continue to stare up at him, almost with a creepy, pleading kind of stare.

His skull is sweating more. "ER… OH, HUMAN, YOU ARE A DETERMINED ONE." You smile up at him as he pauses, thinking to himself. "WELL… ALRIGHT. YOU CAN COME IN… BUT! I HAVE TO ESCORT YOU PASSED THE KITCHEN AND UP THE STAIRS. I CAN'T LET YOU HANG AROUND DOWN HERE WHILE I WORK… BUT IF YOU WANT TO HANG OUT UPSTAIRS, I GUESS THAT WOULD BE OKAY." He grins again and suddenly he scoops you up in his arms.

He cares you through the house rather quickly and jogs up the stairs, his bones rattling loudly. Once up the stairs he places you down gently and gives your head a soft pat. "THERE YOU ARE! NOW STAY UP HERE, NO PEAKING DOWNSTAIRS!" With that, he marches downstairs and back into the kitchen.

You decide to obey his command… for now.

The house layout is pretty similar to their old one in Snowdin, accept now they have a bathroom being that they got this house in a human neighborhood. You snoop around, looking for any clues of where else Sans might be (thinking that he would have been long gone from the park by now). Downstairs, you can hear clanging of pots and pans from the kitchen. Papyrus sure was making a racket!

You creep up to Sans' bedroom door, noting that it surprisingly looked tidier than his brother's door. You give it a knock.

No response.

 _Perhaps_ … You go to open the handle. It's locked.

You let out a soft curse under your breath. Head held low, you slink off to go snoop into Papyrus' room… but the creaking of wood stops you. You look back behind you. The door opened! But how?

Eagerly, you dash into the room, feeling for the light switch. You doubted Sans would have set up the same gag from his old room, but you weren't taking any chances. No endless running on treadmills for you!

Your fingers find the lights and you flick them on. The room looks…. clean?

You gasp in surprise. The room is spotless! This seems very out of character… you look around, still confused. Was it Papyrus' doing? That seemed the most likely…

Something on the floor in the corner of your eye caught your attention and you wheeled around to look at it. The moment you had glanced over, however, it was gone.

Weird… you knew you saw **something**.

Then again on the opposite side, just out of sight, you saw a flash of something… familiar. You look again but it had vanished… Sweat is dripping down your temples. Suddenly you feel anxious… unsafe, even.

Something is in the room with you… but you don't know where…!

You think you hear whispering… you think you feel something brush your leg… the room seems to be getting dark again. You are panicking, breathing fast.

You tell whatever it is that it better leave you alone! You try to sound stern, even though your voice shakes and cracks.

Laughter fills your ears.

Oh no… it's like the dream all over again!

You turn to run for the door, but you are suddenly swept off your feet. The back of your head hits the floor hard and you feel faint for a few seconds before you catch your bearings again. You are pretty sure you hear something moving along the floor very close to you, but you still can't see it.

You warn it again to stay away!

You are panicking, you feel like there is no way out of this!

"Frisk?"

The lights are suddenly bright again and you can see the room perfectly. You look up to see Sans standing in his room doorway, looking down at you questionably.

You realize you are still sprawled on the floor, like you had just fallen down. You _had_ just fallen down…

"What're you doing in here, kid?" Sans asks, not with a frustrated tone because you had invaded his personal space, but out of genuine curiosity. He never was one to care about who came and went in his room.

(What do you say?)

I thought I saw something moving in here… (Ch. 53)

Nothing! (Ch. 54)


	32. Chapter 32

Upon exiting the house, a sudden impulse rushes over you. You find yourself walking towards Papyrus and Sans's House.

The house looks like a hand crafted club house. Small essences of their old place in Snowdin probably inspired it.

You knock on the door.

No answer…

You reach to knock again, but…

"Hey, kid, c'mon… what're you missin'?" Sans voice comes from the other side of the door.

Oh right… You say 'knock knock.'

"Who's there…?"

You think for a moment…. But you can't think of one simple knock knock joke… So you say… 'Papyrus.'

"….Papyrus who?"

You respond with a very awkward impersonation of Papyrus by saying 'WHAT! YOUR BROTHER, OF COURSE!'

Sans slowly opens the door and stares at you with disappointment and confusion…

"That was probably your weakest one yet…."

You shrug sheepishly. You feel self-conscious already that your face is blushed.

Sans suddenly notices your battle girl getup. He looks you up and down and chuckles. "Uh… wow. Kid. This new look… makes you look like a total geek."

You begin to scold him for judging your outfit choices on your own birthday, but then you dismiss it. It's not worth trying to get his approval.

"So what's up, kid? By the way… Happy Birthday… swell of you to stop by before your party tonight." Sans grins with a challenging shine in his left eye. "Care to get your butt kicked in some button masher games?"

You shake your head, apologizing to decline the offer. You ask if Papyrus is home.

"Ah… yeah, 'course he is. He went to the store this morning. He's been in the kitchen the entire time ever since he got back. I think he's making you something special for your b-day." He gives you a wink.

You feel your skin getting hot. You hope to god Sans won't notice and tease you…

"Look, kid… he told me I'm not suppose to let you in if you happen to come over… he doesn't want you to see the surprise before hand… buuuuut…" His voice trails off and he gives you a mischievous look. "I've always been pretty bad at giving any kind of care if a human sneaks past me…"

You smile. Sans is subtly offering to let you sneak into the house.

(What do you do?)

Go Inside! (Ch. 55)

Don't… (Ch. 56)


	33. Chapter 33

Upon exiting your house, a sudden impulse rushes over you. You find yourself walking towards Sans and Papyrus's House.

The house looks like a hand crafted club house. Small essences of their old place in Snowdin probably inspired it.

You knock on the door.

No answer…

You reach to knock again, when suddenly-

"NYEH HEH HEH!" Papyrus swings the door open, almost knocking you over. "HUMAN! HOW WONDERFUL TO SEE YOU DROP BY! OH, AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY COOLEST OF COOL FRIENDS!"

You recover from the sudden outburst and thank him for the birthday wishes.

"AHAAA! WHAT IS THIS?" Papyrus notices the strange sundress you are wearing. "IS THIS YOUR BIRTHDAY COSTUME?"

You nod, flushing a bit around the cheeks.

"HMMM…." Papyrus squints hard as he observes the details of your bow and dress. "ARE… ARE THOSE CONDIMENTS? STRANGE CHOICE, HUMAN… I WOULD NEVER HAVE GUESSED SUCH A SPECIFIC THEME…. REMINDS ME TOO MUCH OF MY BROTHER…"

You giggle nervously and try to change the subject. But you can't seem to think of any other subject… so you ask if Sans is home.

"HMMM… ACTUALLY, NOW THAT YOU MENTION IT, I DON'T THINK HE IS. I HAVEN'T SEEN HIM ALL MORNING. HE'S PROBABLY SLACKING OFF SOMEWHERE. THAT LAZYBONES HAS TO GET IT OUT OF HIS SYSTEM BEFORE TONIGHT, I SUPPOSE."

You look down with slight disappointment.

"ANYWAY, I'M WORKING ON A SPECIAL SURPRISE FOR YOU RIGHT NOW! SO I CAN'T LET YOU IN THE HOUSE… I DON'T WANT YOU TO BE TEMPTED AND SNEAK A PEAK! SO…" He looks back into the house for a moment and then turns back to you. "I WILL GO SEE IF SANS IS HOME… ONE MOMENT…" Papyrus closes the door and you hear the clanking of his boots as he runs up the stairs inside.

You stand awkwardly outside waiting… You notice it is a beautiful day outside. Birds are singing, flowers are blooming…. Suddenly a shiver runs down your back.

The door opens again with another forceful swing. You manage to prepare for this one and step far away from its reach.

"SANS IS HERE, HUMAN!" Papyrus steps a side only slight and you suddenly notice the smaller skeleton standing there also, peering at you through the door.

"Sup, Frisk. Happy Birthday…" He grins, but it's a different kind of grin than usual. It's hard to place what it implies… you still haven't quite mastered the art of reading skeleton expressions.

Before you or Papyrus could say anything else, Sans strolls out the door. "Catch ya later, bro. Frisk and I are gonna have a walk in the park."

 _You were?_

Papyrus looks at you questionably, but by seeing that you were as quizzical as he was, he just shrugs. "ALRIGHT, SANS. HAVE FUN!" Immediately, he went back to his bright and happy-go-lucky self as he waved you both away.

You awkwardly follow Sans down the street.

—

On your way to the park, Sans didn't seem to talk much. You were worried that there was something serious or maybe even sad about this sudden invitation to be alone, but the moment you caught up to his pace, you noticed his happy grin stretched over his face. He glances over and gives you a wink. "Just thought you would like some peaceful downtime before your big night tonight."

You flush and shrug. Now the mood felt calm, and you rather enjoyed walking with Sans in this pleasant afternoon.

The park was nice and shady this time of year. And the smell of spring filled you with determination.

Sans leads you over to the park bench. Brilliant sun rays were shining down on it, creating a warm and inviting view. You walk over to it, fold the back of your dress against your legs and sit down. The sun rays feel wonderful on your skin. It's rather blissful…

Sans sits down next you and leans his head against the back of the bench. His position becomes lax and he lets out a loud sigh. This seems like it will be a nice, relaxed time.

"So why are you wearing that sundress, kid? You trying to tell me something?"

You look taken-aback. You had almost completely forgotten the outfit! So much for relaxed…

You ask what he means…

He looks over at you for a second. The look he gives seems to be skeptical.. but you're not sure of what? You feel your face getting red all over…

"It's almost as if…" He scoots a lil closer, his legs almost touching your own. "you are trying to impress me?"

You shrug again, sweat starting to trickle down your temples.

"If there is something you wanna say…" He is suddenly a little closer! And so quickly, you didn't even see him move. "Just say it, kid." He is face to face with you, only a few inches away.

It's hard to read his expression… you aren't quite sure where he's going with this, but you have a frightful idea. You gulp, feeling the sweat build more.

He continues to stare, unblinking and waiting. And that unfazed grin holding perfect on his eager face. What was he expecting you to say, exactly? You wish you knew…

(What do you say?)

You're right, I'm your new condiments lover rival! (Ch. 57)

Sans, I… (Ch. 58)


	34. Chapter 34

Sans side-eyes you, nodding slightly. "I gotcha…"

You flush and look away from him a bit. You are pretty sure he isn't convinced by your answer. You must be pretty obvious, because even _talking_ about this sort of thing with him is making your stomach squirm with delight.

"No worries, kid… you are still pretty young… for a human." He grins widely. "You've got more time to explore such a thing if you desire."

Sans finishes up the hot dog and tosses the paper wrappings into the trash bin nearby with one, easy dunk. You nod an impressed approval for making it in one try. He dramatically brushes off his shoulders in a smug, cheesy gesture (though, in good humor).

"Let's face it…" he continues on this subject. "the single life isn't so bad. Less responsibilities and commitment. Don't have to deal with worrying anyone either…"

You give him a hard looked. You counter his statement that even though he may not have a partner that he would worry, he would worry his brother and all his friends if he ever got in trouble.

This response seems to have struck Sans a bit. For a second, you see a soft look flash over his grinning face. It could almost be described as gratitude. "Heh…" His expression returns to his signature smile. "You're absolutely right, Frisk. Friends are just as important."

You smile and nod. You tell him that you would definitely be upset if something bad happened to him.

The look he shoots you makes you blush red. "Aww, would you miss me that badly?" He is back to teasing again. "Don't worry, kid, I would never break your little heart. I'm always careful."

You bite down on your tongue, too flustered to respond.

"Say…" He begins on a new subject. "What would you like for your birthday?"

You chuckle a bit. Had he not already gotten you anything? You joke with him that it's awfully last minute to be asking such a thing.

He shrugs. "Well, I had something in mind, but I'm still not sure if it would be suitable."

You perk up, no longer flushed now. You ask him what it is out of curiosity.

He shakes his head, watching you closely with a wink. "Sorry, kid, can't tell ya yet. But, if the events play out right tonight, you'll see what it is."

You frown at him and fold your arms together, feeling impatient. You then ask him for a hint.

He chuckles at you. "Nope, not even a hint."

You beg him a bit, with a twinkle in your eye.

"Kid, I'm not my brother, I won't give in to that." He remarks, although he does look pleased by your desperate attempts.

Huffing, you resort to making your own guesses. You ask if it's a physical object.

"Nope."

You ask if it's a trip to somewhere.

"Nuh-uh…"

You ask if it's a ticket to an event.

"Frisk, c'mon, I'm not gonna tell ya…"

 _Aha!_ You declare it must be a ticket since he isn't saying 'no' to it!

Sans seems tickled by your enthusiasm. "Sorry, kid, it's not. Now stop asking, or you will ruin the surprise."

You sulk a bit, shoving the last bite of pie in your mouth. You aim to throw your wrappings for the trash. You shoot.

…

You miss.

Sans reaches over and pats you on the head. You give him another flustered frown. He looks over to the trash that fell on the ground and his left eye begins to glow blue. The trash piece shudders a bit and then magically flies into the trash bin.

You tell him that that was cheating.

"Nah, kid…" He grins at you. "Magic is fair game for monsters. Just like how determination is for humans." He is gazing into you very intently now.

You gulp a bit, watching his glowing blue eye fade back to normal. For a moment there, you feel strange… almost like de-ja-vu. But you can't quite put your finger on the memory that you think you have.

Sans looks up at the sky for a moment. "Hey, Frisk, I think we'd better head back now. It's getting about time for your party."

You grin, excitement filling you with determination. This party was going to be great, you just knew it!

"C'mon, I'll walk ya home."

Sans hops off the bench table, and you join him at his side as the two of you walk out of the park.

As you are walking back to your house, an idea comes to you; something you need to get off your chest, that Sans needs to hear. Maybe it's the conversation you and him had earlier that sparked it, or maybe it's the desire to break the silence between you two. Or both. You look over at Sans… He is walking cheerfully next to you; seems to not have a care in the world. You take a deep breath…

(What do you say?)

Is.. Is there someone else besides Toriel you like? (Ch. 59)

There is actually someone… (Ch. 60)


	35. Chapter 35

Sans side-eyes you, nodding slightly. "I gotcha…"

You flush and look away from him a bit. You are pretty sure he isn't convinced by your answer. You must be pretty obvious, because even _talking_ about this sort of thing with him is making your stomach squirm with delight.

"No worries, kid… you are still pretty young… for a human." He grins widely. "You've got more time to explore such a thing if you desire."

Sans finishes up the hot dog and tosses the paper wrappings into the trash bin nearby with one, easy dunk. You nod an impressed approval for making it in one try. He dramatically brushes off his shoulders in a smug, cheesy gesture (though, in good humor).

"Let's face it…" he continues on this subject. "the single life isn't so bad. Less responsibilities and commitment. Don't have to deal with worrying anyone either…"

You give him a hard looked. You counter his statement that even though he may not have a partner that he would worry, he would worry his brother and all his friends if he ever got in trouble.

This response seems to have struck Sans a bit. For a second, you see a soft look flash over his grinning face. It could almost be described as gratitude. "Heh…" His expression returns to his signature smile. "You're absolutely right, Frisk. Friends are just as important."

You smile and nod. You tell him that you would definitely be upset if something bad happened to him.

The look he shoots you makes you blush red. "Aww, would you miss me that badly?" He is back to teasing again. "Don't worry, kid, I would never break your little heart. I'm always careful."

You bite down on your tongue, too flustered to respond.

"What's with that look, kid?"

You look up a bit surprised. Look? Oh no, do you really look that obvious right now?!

His grin seems to be getting too cocky. He _definitely_ knows what's up…

You stutter a bit, but manage to get out that maybe-sorta-POSSIBLY you had a thing for someone, but it's definitely not there anymore!

"Hey, hey, it's cool kid. No need to be nervous about it." He leans forward over the table towards you a bit and whispers. "I won't tell me."

You gasp.

He winks. "It'll be a secret."

No, no, no! You shake your head violently, telling him that surely he's got the wrong impression.

"Oh, but I think I do…" He pauses, looking eager. "And don't call me surely."

You are about to protest again when the old-school human joke that was dropped trips you up. You bust out a fit of giggles. Sans is laughing along with you. "Kid, you have no idea how long I've been waiting for a chance to set that one up!"

You wipe the tears from your eyes ad brush you bangs out of your face; for they were starting to stick to your damp eyelashes. Then you shake the humor away and return your attention to the old subject: and attempt to convince Sans again that he's reading too much into it.

"Ah, gee… How harsh, Frisk. And just when I was getting to the good chapters of the book." He winks again.

Oh no, you triggered the flood of jokes. It was gonna be hard to talk seriously with him now…

You tell him to listen!

"I'm all hears kid… oh wait, no I'm not."

You groan, and tell him you are being honest!

"Kid, I'm sorry, I can't believe ya if you continue _tibia_ lying dork."

You frown pathetically. Defeated, you face-plant down on the table with a deep sigh.

You feel Sans tossel your hair in a friendly manner. "S'ok, kid. Like I said, your secret is safe with me. Besides, I completely understand…"

You look up questionably and sort of worried where this response is going…

"I know I can be hot-stuff. So many people want to _bone_ me." His cocky grin stretches so wide, you think his skull might crack.

Your face is on fire! How awkward!

You slam you face back down into the table, not wanting to look him in the eye-sockets any more… and you begin to mumble soft, grumbly curses to yourself. You can't help but feel embarrassed… especially because he has yet to respond if he has any mutual to no feels in return for you. You sulk a bit, shoving the last bite of pie in your mouth as lazily as you can with your face still hiding in the wooden table. You sit up briefly to aim and throw your wrappings for the trash. You shoot.

…

You miss.

Sans chuckles. He looks over to the trash that fell on the ground and his left eye begins to glow blue. The trash piece shudders a bit and then magically flies into the trash bin.

You lift your head back up and tell him that that was cheating.

"Nah, kid…" He grins at you. "Magic is fair game for monsters. Just like how determination is for humans." He is gazing into you very intently now.

You gulp a bit, watching his glowing blue eye fade back to normal. For a moment there, you feel strange… no longer embarrassed… It's almost like de-ja-vu, but you can't quite put your finger on the memory that you think you have.

Sans looks up at the sky for a moment. "Hey, Frisk, I think we'd better head back now. It's getting about time for your party."

You smile sheepishly, briefly thinking about how exciting this party was going to be.

"C'mon, I'll walk ya home."

Sans hops off the bench table, and you join him at his side as the two of you walk out of the park.

As you are walking back to your house, his lack of explaining his feelings verses yours stirs around uncomfortably in your guts. You have to know!

You look over at Sans… He is walking cheerfully next to you; seems to not have a care in the world. Even if he responds negatively, it would at least be better than never knowing… right?

You take a deep breath…

(What do you say?)

Do… you like me… by chance… at all? (Ch. 61)

WANNA GO ON A DATE SOMETIME? (Ch. 62)


	36. Chapter 36

You look down, trying to act totally calm, even though you are pretty sure your cheeks are flushing brightly. You try to say casually that there might be the smallest chance that there is POSSIBLY someone you have feelings for.

From the lack of verbal response, you look up sheepishly to see Sans grinning with much amusement. You stare back, trying to keep cool….. _keep cool_ …

"Oh yeah? Care sharing the deats?" He leans in, eagerly.

You hesitate, feeling sweat forming on your forehead.

"Is it… someone I know?" He asks, still very curious. He's looking at you in a very particular way. You are beginning to worry that he might have a hunch…

You tell him that yes, in fact, it's someone he knows. Your voice cracked a bit, and you are mentally cursing yourself.

"Hmm… okay, human or monster?"

You pause uncomfortably, but confirm that it is a monster.

Sans expression seems to get more amused, the large skeletal smile on his face stretching dangerously large. Oh gee, it does sure seem that he has a good idea, maybe? You feel more sweat building and your face feels very warm.

"Gee, kid… the monster's name wouldn't happen to have an 'A' in it, would it?" He leans forward more on his ulna bone, staring you down.

 _Uh…_

"And perhaps also end with an 'S'?"

 _Oh no…!_

You force a nervous laugh out, exclaiming that he's very egotistic to assume that it's him you are crushing on.

He chuckles. "Well, Frisk, see… I could have been talking about my bro Papyrus… or even Alphys. Cuz they both have 'A's in their name and end with an 'S'. Buuut…" He nestles his palm under his jawbone, radiating WAY too much enthusiasm. "Now that you mention me, that also works too."

You stare at him, dumbstruck. The sneaky jerk…! Did he trick you to confess?

…

You take -70 damage from the rushing emotions that just attacked your soul.

…

You open your mouth to respond, then close it awkwardly because you can't think of anything to say. You are out of excuses and cover-stories. Darn you, Sans!

"So, you got the hots for this?" He lazily gestures towards himself.

You raise a finger to protest, but Sans is now sitting on the table right in front of you. You didn't even see him move! His face looms very close just above your's.

"You know, kid…" He looms slightly closer! "Just because I fancied Toriel… doesn't mean I also had an interest for you too. I just never imagined…" If he had breath, it would be grazing your lips… the thought is enough to make you feel dizzy with delight. "You would be interested in this set of bones."

Your heartbeat is roaring in your ears. Your lips feel dry and almost ache. How did you both get in this scenario in a matter of _seconds_?

Time felt slow now. He was standing his ground, staring down into your very soul… waiting. The ball was in your court!

You make that final push to break the tension and plant a hungry kiss to his mouth. He leans into your response eagerly, and his boney fingers come up and cup your face to hold you there for a bit longer.

…

Your HP maxes out and your determination is sky rocketing!

…

Time felt like it lasted hours just then. But the moment you both pull away from each other, there is a long pause. You both just stare at each other blankly. It seems you are both shocked that kiss actually happened.

"Heh…" Sans smiles. Now he's the one that looks sheepish! It's rather cute, you note. "Wow." He looks down for a second and an expression flashes briefly over his face that seems to be one of… uncertainty. "Kid… you uh, if I moved too fast… with all this just now, tell me, okay?"

You exhale breath that you didn't realize you were holding. You are still light-headed and your heart is fluttering with euphoria. You attempt to answer him, but wordless-nonsense spills from your mouth. What the heck? Are your lips numb now?

Sans chuckles more, and in a way, relieved. "You alright there, kid?"

You nodded, and your pretty sure your grinning like an idiot. You explain that you definitely wanted that to happen… for him to kiss you like that. And as you explain that to him, you shrug sheepishly, looking down at the ground.

He grins. "Good to hear."

There is another long pause. Seems both of you aren't quite sure where to go with this now.

Suddenly Sans looks up to the sky. "Hey, Frisk, I think we'd better head back now. It's getting about time for your party."

You smile and nod, briefly thinking about how exciting this party was going to be.

"C'mon, I'll walk ya home."

Sans hops off the bench table, and you join him at his side as the two of you walk out of the park.

As you are walking back, you glance over at Sans… He is walking cheerfully next to you; seems to not have a care in the world. Completely calm.

A thought hits you hard and you are aching to ask him now…

You take a deep breath…

(What do you say?)

Are we… uh… dating now? (ch. 63)

So do we need to go on an official date now or something? (Ch. 64)


	37. Chapter 37

You look down, trying to act totally calm, even though you are pretty sure your cheeks are flushing brightly. You try to say casually that there might be the smallest chance that there is POSSIBLY someone you have feelings for.

From the lack of verbal response, you look up sheepishly to see Sans grinning with much amusement. You stare back, trying to keep cool….. _keep cool_ …

"Oh yeah? Care sharing the deats?" He leans in, eagerly.

You hesitate, feeling sweat forming on your forehead.

"Is it… someone I know?" He asks, still very curious. He's looking at you in a very particular way. You are beginning to worry that he might have a hunch…

You tell him that yes, in fact, it's someone he knows. Your voice cracked a bit, and you are mentally cursing yourself.

"Hmm… okay, human or monster?"

You pause uncomfortably, but confirm that it is a monster.

Sans expression seems to get more amused, the large skeletal smile on his face stretching dangerously large. Oh gee, it does sure seem that he has a good idea, maybe? You feel more sweat building and your face feels very warm.

"Gee, kid… the monster's name wouldn't happen to have an 'A' in it, would it?" He leans forward more on his ulna bone, staring you down.

 _Uh…_

"And perhaps also end with an 'S'?"

 _Oh no…!_

You force a nervous laugh out, exclaiming that he's very egotistic to assume that it's him you are crushing on.

He chuckles. "Well, Frisk, see… I could have been talking about my bro Papyrus… or even Alphys. Cuz they both have 'A's in their name and end with an 'S'. Buuut…" He nestles his palm under his jawbone, radiating WAY too much enthusiasm. "Now that you mention me, that also works too."

You stare at him, dumbstruck. The sneaky jerk…! Did he trick you to confess?

…

You take -70 damage from the rushing emotions that just attacked your soul.

…

You open your mouth to respond, then close it awkwardly because you can't think of anything to say. You are out of excuses and cover-stories. Darn you, Sans!

"So, you got the hots for this?" He lazily gestures towards himself.

You are about to protest, but again your mind is drawing a blank. And your lack of any sort of response must be causing the smug skeleton's head to swell even larger…

"Well…" He begins. You freeze up. His tone seems almost anti-climatic. Was he going to reject you now?

"Kid, I'm… flattered." His smile has relaxed now and looks the most genuine its been in a long time.

Gibberish starts spilling from your mouth as you try to respond and you flush madly in the face, digging your grave of embarrassment even further. You look down, busying your hands with the end of your sweater.

Sans chuckles then slowly shakes his head a bit. "Huh, now I feel like a total jerk for bringing up Toriel…"

You shrug, trying to play it off as no big deal… but you _are_ still slightly jealous, you can't deny that now.

From a long pause of silence, you look back up again but Sans is no longer sitting across from you. You jump a bit when you see him in your peripheral vision sitting next to you. Seriously, how did he move so fast?

Sans is now looking rather embarrassed and not making eye contact. His smile is still there… that's a good sign.

You ask him if he is okay… because thinking back to earlier, you are wondering if you should have asked then.

He looks at you immediately in surprise. "What?" He turns himself more towards you. "Yeah, kid, of course. Heh…" He chuckles again, closing his eye-sockets for a second. "Sorry, Frisk… Guess I'm a bit awkward with this kind of stuff."

You grin at him, feeling more confident and relieved that he was as nervous as you were. You then slip a tease in that he can make fun of you, but he was being just as shy.

"Heh heh, right? I'm a _hy-bone-crit_ , I'll admit it." With a casual wink.

You giggle and he beams at you. The jokes do help boost his confidence, you note.

Then he looks back down again and rubs the back of his skull. You are about to ask him again if something was up when he leans in and plants a nuzzling kiss on your parted lips!

…

You recover 70 HP

…

As he pulls away, you feel yourself move with him for a moment, not wanting it to end. You are sure you are glowing bright red, but you don't care… you are beaming like dope.

Sans seems tickled by your expression. "Happy Birthday, kid." He then looks to the sky and sighs. "I think it's time we head back. It's getting late and your party will be starting soon."

You nod, briefly thinking about how exciting this party was going to be.

"C'mon, I'll walk ya home."

Sans hops off the bench table, and you join him at his side as the two of you walk out of the park.

As you are walking back, you glance over at Sans… He is walking cheerfully next to you; his face still seems a bit sheepish, but he seems happy overall.

A thought hits you hard and you are aching to ask him now…

You take a deep breath…

(What do you say?)

Are we… uh… dating now? (ch. 65)

So do we need to go on an official date now or something? (Ch. 66)


	38. Chapter 38

After a pause in the conversation, you decide to ask Sans if he knows anything about the golden flower you mentioned in your dreams.

This time, Sans seems ready for it. You don't see his expression shift at all, however he looks at you curiously. "Why…? Have you seen a real flower like the one in your dreams?"

You hesitate, thinking on how to respond. Sans is still watching you thoughtfully. You nod.

Now Sans hesitates… but his grin doesn't flinch or change a bit. Gosh, he was making it very hard to read him…

"Yeah, kid…" He finally says, bringing his fingers together in a folded position on the table. "I believe I have seen this same flower before…"

After another pause and seeing as Sans won't elaborate anymore without encouragement, you ask again what he knows about it.

He shrugs but now his gaze it looking off in the distance. "What is there to say, really? It was a flower… It would come and it would _leaf_ …" He pauses as you scoff at his need to insert puns even on a serious note. "I just figured it was a flower doing its own thing. So I paid it no special notice, really."

You felt a bit surprised. You clarified with him that he really didn't find it off putting for a flower that could move around and talk on its own?

"Talk…?" Sans' gaze shifted back to you and fixated more intently. "It spoke to you?"

You nod again.

"Hmmm…" Sans was now leering at the table. "Just like my bro…" He mumbled. Before you can respond to his small comment to himself he inputs. "But see, kid, a moving flower isn't too out of the ordinary for me, I s'pose. With magic festering in the Underground, it makes logic sense that something like that could happen, don't you think?"

You nod slowly, even though you aren't convinced that a moving, talking flower would have been thought of as normal, even to magic-wielding monsters.

From Sans comment about his brother, Papyrus, you are suddenly making a new connection in your head. All those years ago… when you and Sans went to Grillby's and he mentioned that an echo flower would whisper back words of encouragement to Papyrus… perhaps that wasn't an echo flower? Perhaps…

"What's with that look, buddy?" Sans asks.

You sheepishly shrug and shake it off. Seems that Sans has nothing else to say… or just won't say it.

You both sit there silently waiting for your meal to arrive. You take your silverware and mess with it playfully in your fingers. The soft light of the candle reflects off of it beautifully and you smile to yourself. You look up to see Sans watching you with an amused smile. You set the silverware down, blushing a bit.

The food arrives, along with two glasses of water. The waiter wishes you both to enjoy your meal. Immediately (and before the waiter can finish talking) Sans grabs for the ketchup bottle and dunks half of it onto his plate. The waiter leaves, looking back at the pair of you in an odd manner.

You giggle. You are use to Sans getting this sort of reaction out of people at restaurants.

You are about to ask Sans if he could pass the ketchup to you when you see he is already downing the rest of the bottle into his open jaws. Oh well…

"Well, kid." He says, wiping some of the ketchup off the corner of his mouth. "Here's to another year of life!" He holds up the empty ketchup bottle in a gesture to toast.

You chuckle at him, and explain that its bad luck to toast on an empty glass (or bottle, in this case).

He grins at you. "Ah, but bad luck has nothing on you." He gives you a friendly wink. "But I guess for your sakes…" He picks up his water glass, as you do the same with yours. "Cheers!"

The glasses clank softly. You take a big gulp of the cold water and grin. Looking back, it seems Sans already drank all of his glass. That skeleton was something else…

…

The two of you eat your meal in between casual talk and punny jokes. Then as the sun starts to set, Sans covers the bill and escorts you out.

"Shall we?" He offers his arm to you. You smile stupidly at him. What a gentleman. You secretly hope he'll treat you like this more, not just on your birthday.

You wrap your arm around his and the two of you head back to the neighborhood.

…

(From here, go to Ch. 67 to await for the party tonight)


	39. Chapter 39

You are sure you are going to stumble your words with how flustered you are… but you blurt your question out loudly if this was a date.

Sans narrows his eye-sockets (somehow) at you. He chuckles to himself.

"Well, kid… I dunno, do you _want_ this to be a date?" He leans forward on his arm, and gives you a wink. "Would that make your birthday complete?"

You look down nervously and become very interested with the hems on your sleeves. If you can see how bright red your hands are getting, your face must look so obvious…

You can still feel Sans' gaze on you so you muster up your courage and croak out a shaky 'Y-yes.'

Sans finally leans back, the plastic of the booth seat squeaking under his shifting weight. "Well, you're in luck, pal."

You look up shyly, a bit confused.

"This was already a date. Glad you didn't friend zone me." He gives you a wide grin.

You gawk at him. He continues to grin at you. You suddenly stiffen and ask him if he's joking.

"Nope, not this time, kiddo."

Your face is on fire! You start try to ask him something again but it comes out as random blabbering.

Sans gives off a hearty laugh. "What, have I left ya speechless? Skeleton got your tongue?"

You snort at him, still flustered. You give him a snarky comment that he stole your tongue because skeletons don't have their own.

"As far as _you_ know…" Sans smirks at you rather mischievously.

Oh. _Oh._ You start to protest, thinking about this deeply. He's a skeleton, after all… that meant no flesh or muscle… right?

Sans gives you another wink. "Remember kid, I'm a monster. I'm not like human skeletons. I have my own anatomy… my own rules."

As much as this should fluster you more, you are now very curious. Did he have a tongue? Have you ever even seen him open his mouth? Now that you think about it… maybe not. Monster physiology was so confusing…

Sans chuckles more at your dumbfounded-look. "Let's not get too hasty, kid. We still haven't eaten our meal yet." He leans forward, placing a bony hand on top of yours, and whispers. "If you are still hungry, we'll see about dessert." You stare at him, completely shocked as he gives you yet another wink. "If you so badly want some sugar."

You squirm and giggle wildly as you pull away from his grasp to cover your face. That **really** tickled you pink. Sans continues to grin at you. He seems to be enjoying how much delight his sappy jokes were bringing you.

"What, Frisk? Was it something I said? I was only going to offer you some cream of corn… since you just _love_ my corny jokes."

You clutch your side as your giggles become full on snorts of glee. Tears were starting to fall from your face from how hard you are laughing.

Sans starts laughing with you. "Hey, kid, don't laugh too hard or your rib cage will fall off. Guess if that happens, you can always borrow mine."

You fall side ways in the booth, unable to control your fit of laughter. Sans hit your _funny bone_.

After a moment, you finally calm down after Sans stops throwing more jokes and puns at you. You feel light headed now and your stomach is bubbling with joy. You take a moment to catch your breath and wipe your face from the hysteria.

Sans smirks. "Wow, I really took your breath away, didn't I?"

You shoot him a fiendish look, but giggle slightly all the same. Suddenly, you notice that other people in the restaurant are staring at you both. You flush again, realizing that you must have been laughing loudly. Sans glances over at the staring folk and shrugs. "Hey, fahgettaboudit… they're just jealous that we're having such a _humerus_ time."

You smile, nodding. You notice that all your nerves have vanished and you felt confident sitting here with Sans. It still felt like you were just having a great time with an old friend, but now that you knew this was official date, your confidence was soaring high.

Your food finally arrived. You both ate happily, Sans still cracking jokes over the meal and you trying your best not to choke on your mouth full of food. After receiving the bill, Sans scoops out a few bills and counts them over real quick… Seems he's still adjusting to human currency.

"C'mon, Frisk, I gotta get you back home. We spent too long here." He hops out of the booth and offers you his arm. You blush and cover your mouth as you let out a shy giggle. What a gentleman. You wrap your arm around his and he escorts you out of the restaurant.

You ask him what the plan is now.

"Seeing the time, I gotta get ya back to your place. Your party will be starting soon." Sans replies as the two of you make your way down the street and back towards the neighborhood.

(What do you say?)

Sooo… what about dessert? (Ch. 68)

Are you going to walk me back to the house? (Ch. 69)


End file.
